Uncover Truths
by XxKingArthurIIIxX
Summary: Meiko is know to be a tough teacher in her school with very problematic students especially with students such as Miku and Kaito who are both strange and problematic. Kaito's previous teacher Kiyoteru isn't all what he seems either. What will Meiko do when she finds out what exactly is wrong with these three?
1. CH1

**This is my first faction.**

**I hope you'll like it and I'll just say that i have no ill will towards any vocaloid. I hope I'll be able to give everyone their happy ending.**

"You may begin." Meiko called.

All her students quickly flipped their tests and began to write down their answers as fast as they possibly could. Meiko was known for being a tough teacher who was ruthless when it came to tests, and with a twenty minute limit on a seven paged paper, her students couldn't help but hurry.

But she had been joking about the twenty minute limit. She had planned to give her class the whole period to work on the test. It seemed her class didn't understand her sense of humor.

Meiko sat behind her desk and kept a watchful eye for cheaters. There was always one student who thought they could get away with cheating without her noticing. As she scanned across the room she noticed a certain spiky blonde head cautiously looking at at his sleeve and back at his test paper.

She sighed. Not again.

Meiko grabbed a piece of chalk and swiftly flung it across the room, hitting the blonde boy square in the forehead.

"AHHH." He screamed before falling to the ground.

"Len." Meiko yelled. "What have I told you about cheating?"

"Wh-what? I wasn't cheating."

"Pull up your sleeves." She ordered.

He looked down to the floor in shame.

"If you're not going to do it. I'm going to assume my suspicions were correct."

"I'm sorry."He pleaded. "I won't do it again."

"Out of my classroom."

He glared at her and cursed before leaving her classroom. Meiko was unaffected by his words, but sister Rin blushed in complete and utter embarassment.

"Back to your tests people. We've already wasted two minutes." She said, and with that the class had completely forgotten about the incident.

Meiko started out the window. She knew she didn't have to watch out for anymore cheaters. They were all afraid to receive Meiko's wrath. She watched the cherry blossoms blow in the wind. The schools third floor classrooms had the best view of school ground, she could see everything that was going on. Meiko smiled at the thought. As long as she was up here, nothing could get past her.

Speaking of which, she noticed a student climbing over the school gate. As annoyed as she was, she was impressed. The gate was over ten feet tall, and impossible to climb over. Well apparently it wasn't impossible anymore. Meiko squinted to get a better look at the trespasser. Her face fell as soon as she spotted the person's long teal pigtails. It was Miku. Her student.

It wasn't that she didn't like the girl, she was just too strange for her―for anyone to understand. She never talked, she didn't seem to have that many friends either, she didn't even attend school that often, and when she did, all she'd ever do was look out the window.

A few months back, Meiko had done a background check on Miku. She wanted to see if there was anything wrong with the girl's household. Nothing had come up. She had a sweet looking housewife for a mother, a wealthy businessman for a father, and a honor roll brother who attended an all-boys private school outside the prefecture. In other words, it was the perfect family. Meiko never understood why she would ruin that.

Meiko had given up on her long ago. What was the point of caring for her if she didn't even care for herself?

After a few minutes Miku came through the door with an undoubtedly bored expression on her face. It made something in Meiko twinge. Out of all her expressions, she hated that one most of all. It made want to scream: "Why do you come here when you don't want to learn anything!"

All eyes were directed back and forth between the two girls as they just stared at each other in silence. The class braced themselves as they waited for Meiko to snap. After a long unbearable minute Meiko stood up and handed Miku a test. "You're late. We've already started the test." was all she said before taking her seat.

The class watched in awe as Miku also took her seat. After a while Meiko decided to glance at Miku, just a quick one, she thought in hopes of assuring herself that Miku wasn't all bad, that she actually took her education seriously. She slowly turned her chair away from the window and almost snapped.

Miku's test paper was flipped over to the blank side. Instead of doing the work she was supposed to, she uncaringly looked out the window. Meiko's heart lurched. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to yell at her, but she couldn't. There was something about her student that shut her up. Something Evil.

Meiko shook her head. If she didn't set her straight she would be portraying inequality among her students. It was a quality she hated to see in teachers, and she definitely didn't want to have that awful quality in herself. "Miku. If you're not going to do the test, I advise that you please leave my classroom." Meiko said hoping her voice didn't shake.

Miku gave her a blank stare before leaving her classroom. Meiko sighed in relief she closed the sliding door behind her.

* * *

The sun was setting when Meiko left school. She was exhausted. After a long day of work she decided a much needed beer would help ease her stress. She decided she would purchase a case or two from the convenience store not far from here.

Just as Meiko was about to enter the store, she heard odd noises echoing from behind her. She turned around finding nothing out of ordinary, so she passed it off as her imagination and walked through the entrance. She browsed around the convenience store for a while, looking at celebrity exploit magazines and the latest issue of Shounen Jump before purchasing three cases of her favorite beer. She left the store and stretched her back preparing for the long way home. As she began to walk, she heard the noises again. She stopped to listen. It sounded like arguing.

She looked around feeling somewhat curious as to where she could find the arguing pair. She wasn't so stupid to pass this off as her imagination. Meiko paused to listen for the source of the noise.

She walked over to an alleyway by the connivence store. The arguing grew louder as she approached the small space. It was there did she find two males fighting. "You better behave yourself at your new school." A dark haired man with glasses growled.

"Who are you to tell me what to do. You're not my teacher anymore." Spat an azure haired boy with a cotton blue muffler. She eyed it wondering who would wear such a stuffy thing in this warm weather.

"Hey, stop your fighting." Meiko said intervening.

They stopped arguing for a moment to turned to their intruder.

What do you want hag?" The blue haired boy yelled.

She snapped. "Hag!? Why you little brat―"

"Who are you anyway?" The glasses-wearing man asked.

"Huh? Oh I'm just a bystander."

The glasses man walked out of the alley's shadow revealing an unexpectedly handsome face. She almost blushed, until he gave her a look. it was a look she didn't like. It reminded her of all the authoritative figures during her Yankee days. Yes, they shared the same look. All seemed to be looking down at her.

"Well Ms. Bystander, I suggest you leave."

She threw her arms up in defeat. "Whatever." She said walking away. "You try to help someone and they end up treating you like dirt." She said under her breath.

Walking home she thought about that rude pair's argument. They seemed to have a former student-teacher relationship. The brat seemed to transferring to a different school. More like he was kicked out. He was probably a troublemaker. Surprise, surprise. Hmm...now that she thought about it, her class would soon have a transfer in her class. Could that boy be it? She shook her head. No way. That'd be too much of a coincidence.

* * *

The next morning Meiko sat at her desk in the faculty office grading the remainder of yesterday's test papers. Her class average had definitely gone up from the test. She was proud of her students. Now, if they only studied when they weren't pressured into failure, again this was another one of Meiko "jokes" to help break the ice between her students. It seemed this only brought the opposite effect.

"Meiko-sensei?"

She snapped to attention. "Yes Vice-Principal Yamagi?"

"Your transfer student has arrived today."

"Ah, he's come today? We'll I guess I'd better go introduce myself." Meiko said putting her favorite marking pen away. She left her seat and followed the Vice-principal into his office. Inside a tall blue haired boy with matching eyes and long cotton scarf worn around a black button down uniform stood in front of her.

She blinked. No. It couldn't be. Not that brat from yesterday.

"Good morning." The boy said flashing a princely smile. "My name is Kaito Shion. Please take care of me."


	2. CH2

Meiko walked along side Kaito in complete and utter silence. She didn't know what to say. What was she supposed to say? She wasn't a hundred and ten percent sure that this boy and the boy from last night were the same person, and even if they were what could she do? It wasn't like she could put her hands on a student.

The more she thought about it, the more it angered her. How dare that brat call her a hag? And that teacher of his made her even angrier. Actions did speak louder than words, but he didn't need to use either, his face said it all, which was an amazing power once she thought about it.

As they reached the door to the classroom Kaito stepped in front of her. She looked up at Kaito who still wore the smile of a prince. "I have to apologize for yesterday." He said starting to look away. "I...wasn't quite myself."

She raised her brow. _So he admits it_. Well there was nothing she could do if he already apologized. "Well I guess its alright. Now move you're in my way."

"Sorry."

Meiko opened the door and stepped inside, Kaito soon following her. As soon as he entered the classroom, there was an uproar. She frowned. If only they were this lively when she taught them. "Settle down, settle down." She said standing behind her desk. "We have a new student joining our class." She turned to Kaito. "Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself."

He smiled at her then back at the class. "Hello. My name is Kaito Shion. I'm originally from Hokkaido. Over the years, I've moved around a lot, it's kind of trying, so I hope to stay here for good and become friends with all of you."

Just as he finished, Miku entered the room with the same dead expression as ever. Meiko cursed under her breath. She was hoping she wouldn't show up. Now she was going to have to find another desk. Or did she? "Excuse me for a moment." Meiko said leaving the classroom. She went over to the neighboring classroom. They had plenty of desks and chairs to spare, but she only took a chair. She dragged it back to her classroom and placed it beside Miku's desk.

"I'm sorry Kaito. There don't seem to be any spare desks anywhere, so for today you can share with Miku." Meiko would have smiled deviously if she weren't in a room full of kids. Well this was for Miku anyway. No punishment seemed to make her change in the slightest, so she'd punish her with her greatest weakness. Socialization.

"If you don't understand anything, you can just ask Miku." She turned to the pig tailed girl. "While you're at it, you can show Kaito around the school."

Anger flashed in her teal eyes, but she quickly hid it away.

The class whispered cautiously at Meiko's action's. She ignored them. They were overreacting. Meiko believed she was doing nothing wrong, but something inside her said otherwise.

* * *

At lunch, Meiko was called to the office. According to the secretary, she had a visitor. She wondered who it could be. Was it Luka? No she and her boyfriend left for Okinawa three days ago. If Luka needed her she'd call, but then who else could it be?

Meiko reached the front door of the office. She had a bad feeling about this. She wondered if she should turn back now. She shook her head. She couldn't just ditch. She'd only be called back.

Meiko slowly slid the front door open to find the handsome glasses man from yesterday standing on the other side. Meiko was pissed. She had the urge to close the door in his face, and she did until he stopped her.

"Wait." He said struggling to keep the door open. "I need to talk to you."

Meiko paused considering. Should she do it? She technically she didn't know this person, so she did have the right to send him away. No, if she did that then the secretaries would talk, and they never forgot about what they gossiped about. She released her grip on the door and entered the room. She decided she would talk with him.

The vice principal offered his room if they wished to speak in private. They accepted it and went inside. She let the him go ahead so she could close the door behind her. "Take a seat." she said motioning to the long black leather couch.

He sat calmly with his legs crossed over each other.

"Do you want tea?" She asked.

He nodded.

She soon brought two mugs of steaming herbal tea. She placed it on the coffee table between them then sat on the couch across from his. "So." She said blowing on her tea before taking a sip. "What brings you here?"

"I'd like to...apologize for yesterday." He said grimly

Meiko hid her smirk. She could see how he struggled to say the sentence. "It looks like everyone's apologizing today." She muttered.

"I had no idea you were Kaito's teacher."

"And I had no idea people used excuses for rudeness." She said sarcastically.

He opened his mouth to retort, but closed it. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just that, I thought you were some random drunkard." He put his hand over his mouth. "Sorry. Excuses."

"What made you think I was a drunkard―" She paused remembering the large amount of alcohol she bought for herself. "Oh." She said taking another sip. _He must be judging me now_, she thought embarrassed. She figured it was about time she cut back on the beer.

"So what's your relationship with Kaito?" She asked changing the subject.

"Oh right. My name is Hiyama Kiyoteru. I was Kaito's teacher at his previous school."

"Is that why you two are...close?" She asked.

His face became serious. "Not exactly."

The room's atmosphere suddenly became tense. She was curious, she wanted to ask what he meant by his statement, but she found it hard to speak. This was unlike her. She was usually an outspoken person. Swallowing she said, "What do you mean by that?"

He smiled. "I don't think you'd want to know."

That of course went against her curious nature, but she stayed quiet.

"How is Kaito doing?" He asked.

"He seems to be making good progress so far. His classmates have taken an immediate liking to him." If only she had that sort of popularity with her students. She could only dream.

"That's good." He said taking a sip of his tea. "Will you do me a favor and watch over Kaito?"

"Uh, sure." She'd find it difficult to watch over one student and one student alone, but she taken an interest in her new student. She began to think of the close student teacher relationship Kaito and Kiyoteru shared. She wondered if they were close in "that" sense. She pushed the thought away. She wouldn't let her imagination run wild, besides, he and Kiyoteru didn't give off that air.

Meiko left the office as soon as she finished talking with Kiyoteru. Walking through the halls, she decided she would drop by her classroom and see how Kaito was doing. She might as well start doing her job. She had to admit, she felt a bit like a stalker, but reminded herself that this was only a favor.

She crept behind the door, opening it slightly. She prayed she didn't make a sound. She peeked through the small creak and searched for Kaito. She found both Kaito and Miku right where she left them. Kaito was calmly reading a book while sucking through the straw of his strawberry milk. He looked well enough. Her eyes soon made her way towards Miku who seemed to be writing? In a notebook? What was this!? Miku never attempted to do anything in her classes, what was it about lunch that made her so productive?

"Excuse me Meiko-Sensei. I can't get through."

Meiko jumped. Turning around, she saw that it was only Rin who looked slightly concered. Meiko quickly moved out of her way and let her pass. Her heart was still beating like a Jack hammer. She took a deep breath to help calm herself. What was with her? She reacted as if she'd committed a crime. Meiko was no criminal.

Meiko encouraged herself to look through the door again. She was hesitant, but then she reminded herself that this was her classroom. She could do whatever she wanted.

Just as she was about to reach for the door, someone on the other side had gotten to it first. Before she could even be discovered, she ran away.

* * *

"It's not funny Luka!." Meiko yelled over her maniacal laughter.

The pink haired girl could hardly breath.

Meiko sighed. She had decided to confide in her friend over coffee, and filled her in over everything that had been going on over the two weeks she spent in Okinawa.

"Y-you've become a stalker." She said laughing even harder.

Meiko glared at her friend. The last two weeks had been difficult. She faced a constant battle over watching Kaito, and actually teaching her class. Her students (at least the ones that payed attention) were starting to notice. At this rate, rumors would start to circle around school. The sectaries weren't the only talkers around.

"I-I'm sorry. Okay I'm done." She said breathing out her last few laughs.

"What should I do?"

Luka, who was now calmed looked at her seriously. "I think you're taking this Kiyoteru fellow's request to heart. I mean he only asked you to watch over him, not stalk the boy."

"I know, but why would he ask me that?" She sighed. None of this was making sense anymore. Kaito had been nothing but the perfect student. Sure he'd been rude the first time, but the next time she saw him it'd been a complete personality change. What sort of troubles had Kaito caused for a student and teacher to be that close? And she knew it wasn't regular delinquent behavior that caused him to leave school. She didn't buy the moving story. It was something more than that. She knew she was right. She felt it deep in her gut.

Meiko wondered if her curiosity was what was developed her stalker behavior. Yes she was admitting it. She really was developing stalker behavioral issues. If it was only her curiosity that caused her to act like this then she hoped that this curiosity of of her's would soon be satisfied. She just wanted this all to stop

* * *

Alright everyone. Today's the day." Meiko said slamming 30 freshly printed, freshly stapled test packages on her desk. She ignored her student's groans as she passed the papers out. "Clear your desks, or you won't receive a test." She warned.

After handing out all test papers, she sat behind her desk and watched her students desperately trying to fill in answers. Len didn't seem to be cheating this time. He looked like he learned from the humiliation of the last test, but he proceeded with difficultly.

Her eyes wandered to Miku who, as always was looking out the window. Meiko followed her stare. She always wondered what she looked at. She never seemed to get bored at looking at the same thing everyday. Maybe she saw something she didn't see? Well it didn't matter. Meiko decided to let her insolence slide and ignore her. After all, in a way Miku was also punishing herself.

Her eyes drifted to Kaito who neighbored Miku. He effortlessly wrote down his answers. Of course. He was a bright student who was destined to become one of the schools top achievers.

Meiko should have continued to look out for any potential cheaters, but her eyes were fixed on Kaito. He seemed to be...glowing. Glowing? She questioned. Yes, glowing, she confirmed. The silkiness of his dark blue hair became more apparent to her, and she took in paleness of his skin that appeared to be virtually flawless, it had not one blemish. She got sucked in those luminous cerulean eyes of his and fell trapped and couldn't look away.

_Ba-Thump_.


	3. CH3

Her cheeks were flushed a deep red, her heart beat madly, and she felt as if her breath was taken away. It was all symptoms of one thing. Love. That, or she was having a stroke.

_No, No, No, No_. This was not happening to her. She was not falling in love with a student. It went against all her principles. It was a was the the sunlight that gave Kaito that heart-throbbing look. That's right. She wasn't in love with him, and to prove it she'd look at him again without feeling a thing.

She swallowed, bracing herself for the moment of truth. She forced her eyes to look upwards, and when she did, her heart almost dropped to the floor. Kaito was already standing in front of her with his test paper in his hands.

"W-what is it?"

"I'm finished my test."

She was surprised. "Already?"

He nodded handing her his completed test before returning to his seat.

Meiko flipped through the answers surprised to find them all correct. She never said it, but all she ever put into her tests were the lessons she taught aloud. That meant Kaito had payed attention to her the whole time.

Meiko blushed at the realization, then cursed herself for doing so. What was she getting all happy about? Students were supposed to pay attention to what she said. It was their job. It should have come to no surprise to her.

Meiko put the test away and decided to go back to watching over her students. Well that was her plan, until her her eyes made her way back to Kaito...watching Miku, and he made no effort to hide it either. Her heart made a violent lurch. What did he think he was doing? Did he like her? Was he trying to make a pass at her? No way. The two of them were complete opposites. Even if the two of them were to go out. It wouldn't last long. They weren't compatible.

Meiko froze. She was shocked by her own thoughts. What was wrong with her? She just acted like she was a jealous high school girl. That wasn't like her. The usual Meiko was calm and composed never letting anything break her. That was the real Meiko, but when she saw Kaito staring at another girl, she felt as if her whole world had come crashing it possible? Could she actually be in love with Kaito? Her student?

Meiko covered her face in shame. This was the worst.

* * *

After school was over and Meiko was done marking tests , she sat down on a bus bench with three canned coffees by her side.

She didn't understand how she got here. One minute she was in front of the school the next minute she was sitting on a bus bench more than hour away.

She sighed opening one of her canned coffees. She wondered what she was supposed to do now. She wanted to sort out her feelings, but how? The safest thing she could do was ignore these feelings of hers and carry on with business as she always had. She took a sip of her coffee. That sounded like a plan.

"Meiko-san?" a voice said interrupting her thoughts.

Meiko looked up finding Kiyoteru bent over her. "Oh, Hello." she said moving away from the awkward position.

Kiyoteru took a seat beside her. "I'm surprised to see you here. Do you take this route home too?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No. I just found my way over here, somehow."

"Oh."

Meiko picked up one of her canned beverages and handed it to him. "Want one?" She asked.

"...Thanks." He said accepting it. After taking a long sip he asked, "How is Kaito doing?"

"He's doing great. He's popular among the other students, his grades are amazing, he has a charming personality, and he even partakes in sports. He your basic definition of a role model student."

"Wow. He really did it." Kiyoteru said under his breath.

"Did you say something?"

He shook his head taking another sip of his beverage.

"You know...he might have even found a girl he likes."

Kiyoteru spit he beverage out as he laughed. It surprised Meiko. It never occurred to her that the man actually had the ability to laugh, but she was a little annoyed. She didn't like people laughing at her when she was being serious.

He stopped laughing when he saw her displeased face. "Ahem...Sorry about that. I was surprised. I never thought of Kaito as the loving type."

"Well I'm not one hundred percent sure or anything. I just had the feeling."

He furrowed his brows. "Is that woman's intuition?"

She shrugged. "Maybe."

Kiyoteru's bus started to approach. "Well it was nice talking to you. I'll treat you next time." He said drinking the last bits of his coffee before throwing the can into the nearest trash bin.

Meiko waved goodbye as he entered the bus and drove off. When the bus was out of sight she stared at the trash bin and back at her empty can. Focusing her sights on the trash bin, she threw her can hoping it'd make it in. Sadly, the can bounced off the rim and fell on the ground.

She went over and picked up the can. She wondered what she did wrong. Kiyoteru made it look easy. Oh well. Not everyone had the gift of throwing easy targets, she thought throwing the can into the bin.

By the time she returned home it was already nine. Because of the time she spent wandering in the streets, she got lost and had to spend hours finding her way back. It was difficult, but she did it. She was now in her living room watching a drama with a beer resting comfortably by her side.

Meiko had been waiting a week for the drama. It was called Cherry Berry. She didn't really understand how the title had anything to do with the drama itself, but that didn't affect the show's amazingness. Last week it had ended with the main character's uncle revealing that he was actually her father and her love interest who was supposed to be her cousin was now her brother. Oh the horror.

What made her even more excited was the fact that Luka was going to be in the show. Apparently they film crew were shooting in Okinawa during her vacation. They were lacking extras and Luka happened to be nearby, so they asked her and she said she would do it.

Meiko waited in anticipation as the credits appeared slowly. That annoyed her. If only there was a fast forward button she could press for this to be over.

After the credits rolled, they briefly showed the main events of last weeks episode before the show started.

"Finally."

But then her phone rang.

She cursed deciding to ignore it. She was not missing today's episode, certainly not over a stupid phone call. But her phone continued to ring and ring.

She managed to ignore it until commercial break. She wanted to set her phone on silent for the rest of the show, but first she wanted to know who on earth was calling her. She going to give them a piece of her mind.

She seared her missed calls list and froze.

It was the police.

She brought her phone to the couch and sat stiffly. Why was the police calling her? She didn't do anything wrong. Did she? Sure during her high school days she had problems with the cops, but that was years ago. She had nothing to do with the police anymore.

Her phone rang again. She stiffened. It was them.

She considered hanging up on them, but that would only lead to trouble, so she gathered her courage and decided to answer the phone.

"H-hello."

"Hello. Is this Sakine Meiko?" asked an annoyed voice on the other end.

"Yes."

"We have one of your students in our custody."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes. A Hatsune Miku. Is the name familiar to you?"

"Yes, very."

* * *

She received directions to a police station just ten minutes from here. Meiko was to come immediately, and there was no way in hell she could refuse. She'd already annoyed them with her twenty missed calls.

She found her way into police station and found Miku sitting impatiently while an officer sat across giving her a cold hard glare.

Meiko cleared her throat. "Excuse me."

The officer turned to her. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. I'm Meiko Sakine."

"Oh so you're Sakine. I had trouble reaching you."

"Y-yes. I was busy with, um... important matters."

"Hm, well take a seat." He said motioning to the empty chair beside Miku.

She sat.

"Well I get straight to the point. Your student has been repeatedly causing trouble in the streets, mainly in the red-light district. We've received many complaints about her. She's been picking fights with some shady people, and today we've caught her fighting with a hostess."

Meiko turned to her. She couldn't believe it. She always knew Miku was a troublemaker, but she never knew she took it this far.

Miku didn't have any scars on her face either. If the officer hadn't said anything she would never have never have guessed that she was involved in a fight. She figured meant her opponent received more damage than she did. She was slightly impressed. This kid was stronger than she looked.

"I'm very sorry she caused trouble. She won't do it again." She turned to Miku. "Apologize." She whispered sharply.

She looked at her and said, "I'm not apologizing over something that's not my fault."

Meiko grabbed her head and forced it towards the ground. It was the closest she'd get for her to bow. "She really is very sorry. She just doesn't know how to show it very well." She said hoping the officer would buy it.

"Well if it happens again she'll be in serious trouble."

"Yes, thank you so much." She said dragging Miku by the arm.

When they left the police station, Meiko went full out and gave Miku a full on lecture. "What did you think you were doing? Honestly picking a fight with a hostess? Do you know what would happen if the school found out? You don't seem to understand how prestigious the school you attend really is. If news spread, the school's reputation would be tarnished."

"Are you going to tell?" Miku asked

"No, but I will have to notify your parents."

She became quiet, unusually so. Then again that was the regular old Miku.

They soon reached the gate of Miku's house. Beyond the gate rested a large fancy looking house. Meiko was amazed by it's gigantic size. It was huge, it was definitely a mansion. Everything about it seemed to sparkle. Its glamour overpowered her.

Miku glanced at Meiko and rolled her eyes before ringing the bell. The person on the other end buzzed her in and the large gates opened. Miku lead her through the gates and into her home.

The inside was even better than the outside. Everything seemed to be shining. She was cautious of her steps. She didn't want to accidentally break anything. Everything inside probably cost a fortune.

Someone descended down the house's main steps. Meiko looked up to find a man with well kept teal hair and a mature looking face. _He's kind of handsome_, Meiko thought.

"Hello. How may I help you?"

"Are you Miku's father?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Ah. Well Hello then, my name is Sakine Meiko. I'm your daughter's teacher. I'm here to discuss about her behavior."

He narrowed his eyes. "I see."

Miku's father took her into his home office where they were to talk about the situation in private.

Meiko told him all about Miku's attitude in class as well as today's incident. Mr. Hatsune just sat back in his chair and listened with his arms crossed firmly over his chest. She didn't know if he was taking this information well. His showed no emotion on his face.

When she finished, Mr. Hatsune breathed a heavy. sigh. "Well thank you for telling me this. I always knew my daughter was on the wild side, but I never thought she'd take it this far. I'll have a word with her. Please tell me if she ever acts like this again." He said escorting her out.

"I will."

Meiko sighed as she left the Hatsune property. Entering the house had taken a lot out of her, and she felt extremely uncomfortable talking to a man that had such a posh air. She felt as if he could destroy her in an instant. She hoped she never had to make a trip like this again.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she felt a chill run down her spin. She slowly turned around to find Miku standing by her bedroom's balcony. She shot her the coldest glare Meiko had ever seen. It shocked her. Miku usually wore dead or blank expressions. She was rarely angry even when she was constantly pushed around by others.

Meiko swallowed. She had a feeling she would have to face another tough day being a teacher.

***Note**

**I just wanted to say yes I DO know there is a difference between Meiko and Sakine Meiko. I just wanted Meiko to have a last name. I guess you an say I'm "borrowing" the name for the time being.**

**Oh and please let me know if I make any mistakes I'll try to fix them**


	4. CH4

Meiko arrived to the school feeling dead tired. She hadn't gotten any sleep last night. She spent the night thinking about Miku and that look she'd given her yesterday. She looked like she was going to kill her. Meiko had to assure herself that it was only her imagination for her to go back to sleep, it had taken a lot of convincing, but it seems it hadn't been enough.

She yawned as she entered her classroom. The bell soon followed her. She had barely made it. She mumbled her morning greetings before taking the attendance.

"IA." Meiko called.

"Here." She said.

"Miki."

"Here."

"Iroha,"

"Here."

"Yukizari."

"Here."

"Rin."

"Here."

"Len."

"Here."

"Gumi."

"Here."

"Lily."

Here."

"K-kaito." She called. Dammit, she had stuttered.

He didn't seem to notice and replied, "Here."

"SeeU." She said firmly.

"Here." She said through her thick Korean accent.

"Aoki."

"Here."

"Cul."

"Here."

"Ryuto."

"Here."

"Piko."

"Here."

"Miku."

"Here."

She was about to circle in the absence bubble and move on to the next name when she paused. Did someone just reply 'here'? That wasn't Miku was it? She wondered as she scanned the room. Impossible. Miku never came to her classes on time. Her lateness was what she was known for.

Her eyes made her way to Miku's desk. Someone occupied the seat. As she looked up her eyes locked with a pair of bright teal eyes. She froze. It was Miku. Miku started at her and smiled. She actually smiled.

Meiko was confused. What was happening here? Why was she early, and smiling? Smiling out of all things. Just yesterday she was sure Miku was going to kill her. This was a rapid turn of events for her. Meiko's vision fuzzed. All this thinking was making her dizzy. She almost forgot that she was in a classroom.

All her students looked at her wondering why she had taken such a long pause while she was in the middle of taking the attendance. She cleared her throat, embarrassed and finished the attendance before starting her lesson.

"Alright class, we're starting a new unit today." Meiko said. "Open your textbooks to page three hundred and six."

The class obeyed and started their reading. She decided to let her students read out loud in order of the attendance list. She wasn't really paying attention since her main focus constantly shifted from Kaito to Miku. Feeling guilty, she decided she would give everyone of her students an extra mark later.

Meiko was itching for answers from her two students. They didn't realise it yet , but the two of them were slowly becoming a part of her life. Of course she was still their teacher so she didn't have the right to pry into their lives unless she was sure they were having issues in their family households.

Meiko wished she could simply ignore them and kill this curiosity of hers, maybe then would she be able to go back to doing her job.

When class bell rang, she called Miku to her desk.

"Yes? Do you need anything Meiko-sensei?"

She didn't speak till she made sure all her students left the classroom. "Is everything alright?" She asked.

Miku had a blank look on her face before she smiled. "Of course. I couldn't be better."

"Your father wasn't hard on you, was he?"

Her smile grew. " He wasn't too hard on me, but I did receive an awfully _long_ lecture on my behaviour. From now on I'll try to become a better student."

Meiko placed her hand on her shoulder.

She winced.

Feeling slightly offended she removed her hand. "Well then you're free to go."

She bowed and left the class.

Meiko stared at the hand that touched Miku. She had actually winced when she touched her. Did she hate her so much that she would feel such disgust just by placing her hand on her shoulder? She sighed. Just because Miku was going to change didn't mean she was going to suddenly like her.

Meiko walked into the teachers lounge where she was approached by Vice Principal Yamagi. "So what day were you thinking?'' he asked.

"Huh?"

"For the field trip? You you told me to come to you as soon as the field trip's location was confirmed."

Oh. She completely forgot about that. "I was thinking June fifteenth."

"The fifteenth it is. I'll phone the park rangers to confirm the date." He said as he walked off.

Meiko shook her head. She was really starting to get out of it. She needed to focus on what was really important. Her job.

Meiko put away her things and headed outside with an obento in her arms. She sat outside the school bench and slowly unraveled the cloth around her lunch box. She sighed as she poked at her rice with her chopsticks. She hated being alone. When she was left by herself there was no one but her thoughts to haunt her, and by the mood she was in she knew they wouldn't be good thoughts.

She wondered if she would ever back to her old self―her normal self. As the days past, Meiko found herself hating the person she'd become. Her mind was always up in the clouds, she wasn't as focused or as serious in her work, and she had lost all confidence in herself and it was all because of her and her stupid feelings for Kaito.

Oh why did she have to fall for her student? Why did he have to be her student? She knew this was a fruitless love, and pursuing Kaito would only lead to consequences. Still who could resist those deep blue eyes, silky locks, and harmonious voice―

She groaned. There she went again, fantasizing about someone who she shouldn't be fantasizing about. It was one of the many reasons she was hating herself.

Luka was also starting to suspect something was wrong with her. Meiko had told her for what had to be the thousandth time that she was fine. It was a lie of course. She wasn't fine. She was far from it. She felt like she would break down by the slightest push. She would never tell Luka any of her true thoughts. She hated keeping it from her, but what could she do? She could only imagine what Luka would think of Meiko, an esteemed high school teacher with a barrier impossible to crack falling in love with her own student. It would undoubtedly make her sick to her stomach.

Meiko checked her watch. Lunch break was over in less than ten minutes. She had barely touched her food. She sighed eating bits of her rice and an egg roll before packing up.

She dropped by the teacher's office grabbing her lesson plan and other materials before heading to her classroom located on the other end of the hallway. It was a long walk especially in a school as big as this one. It was also very quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the clicking of her own heels. The sound echoed along with soft muffling noises.

She stopped. Soft muffling noises?

She decided to follow the sound. Taking light steps, she walked forward hearing the muffled noises become whispers, the whispers becoming outspoken voices. Voices she recognized.

Meiko stood in front of the door of the equipment closet and paused as she listened in.

"Ow, that hurts." A female voice hissed.

"Shh...do you want us to get caught?" a male voice whispered sharply.

"I didn't even ask for you to..."

Meiko froze. She recognized the voices all right. It was Miku and...Kaito?

Meiko shoved the door open feeling shocked and angered by what she saw. Miku's school vest was on the floor, her button shirt undone with her bra clearly visible while Kaito lovingly held her.

Meiko bit her bottom lip so hard she thought it would bleed. Her face was red from fury as she looked over the guilt-ridden faces of her two students. "What do you two think you're doing?" She asked. Her voice quivering with anger.

Miku glared at her. "What's it to you?" She said re-buttoning her shirt.

Meiko was taken aback._ Her eyes_, Meiko thought. They had the same deadly look from last night.

Kaito gently pushed her aside. "Meiko-sensei. It's not what it looks like."

She rolled her eyes. Did he think she was an idiot? The signs of intercourse were all there. The secrecy, the dark enclosed space, the messy hair and undone shirt. "Both of you to my office now." She ordered.

* * *

The next couple of hours was a blur for Meiko. She informed the Principal Toyoda and Vice-Principal Yamagi of the incident she had just witnessed. They were both appalled by the news. Such occurrences were rare in prestigious schools such as Crypton.

Vice-Principal Yamagi called her student's parents/guardians. They were to come after school to meet Meiko, the Principal, and Vice-Principal for further discussion and proper punishment. While they waited on their arrival, the three adults tried to get Kaito and Miku to talk. They had no success. The two students kept their lips sealed.

Meiko left the Principal's office where Principal and Vice Principal looked up at her with hope in their eyes. "Any luck?" Principal Toyodal asked.

She sighed. "No. They refused to tell me anything." They had hoped talking to them individually would get them to open up and confess, but the two of them were as stubborn as a mule. They refused to let anything slip. Meiko didn't understand why. She had told them that admitting to their faults would lessen their punishment, but they didn't care.

One thing Miku did say was: "It's not our fault." in the quietest of whispers. She didn't understand what Miku had meant by the sentence, she figured it was just her way of avoiding the future consequences, but for some reason Kaito's eyes had softened at the statement.

"Well their parents are coming soon anyway."Principal Toyoda turned to her. "Do you think you can bring some tea for their arrival?"

"Yes sir." She said walking away. She went into the small kitchen behind the teacher's lounge and prepared several tea cups before boiling water. The tea was ready in a few minutes. She placed the steaming mugs onto a tray and carried it with her. She had developed excellent balance thanks to the Principal making her his part-time tea girl.

She stood by the door of Principal Toyoda's office. She was about to knock on the door, when she heard voices inside.

"How dare you embarrass me? " A man yelled. "First your teacher comes and informs me of the delinquent past I didn't even know about, and now I find out you're slut-shaming yourself?"

"Dear, keep your voice down." A frail sounding woman whispered.

Meiko knocked on the door. She opened it. Mr. Hatsune had a tight grasp on his daughter's wrists while glaring at her with disgust. He sat down in silence once Meiko entered the room while Miku just stared down at the floor.

She raised a brow at the man's actions. He was quite different from the man she saw last night. He was more violent than she imagined. She quickly pushed the thought away. Any parent would've been angry after hearing such news about their child.

She greeted the family as she gave them their tea. She sat on the seat across from them wondering where Kaito had gone. As if on cue, the door opened and The Principal, Vice-Principal, along with Kaito, and Kiyoteru had stepped in.

She raised her brow at Kiyoteru. What was he doing here? Oh, he must have been a stand in for his parents. She was already well aware of how close the two were.

Once they all took their seats Principal Toyoda cleared his throat starting the conversation. "Early this afternoon your daughter Miku, and your ward Kaito were found in the school's equipment room together. We can safely assume that the two were in the middle of intercourse by the lack of clothing they wore."

Meiko cringed. She might of exaggerated on the clothing bit when she told the story to the Principal and Vice-Principal. She said the two were almost naked when in reality it was only Miku that had her shirt undone. Her rage had caused her to stretch the truth. At this point it didn't matter anymore. This was Crypton High School. It was the best school in the prefecture. Any student would be severely punished if even caught kissing on school grounds.

"As you know Crypton is a very prestigious school. If the news of this incident were to get out, it would tarnish the school's reputation."

Mr. Hatsune clenched his fists. His expression remained neutral.

"Such inappropriate acts are unacceptable within school grounds or any school for that matter. I'm sorry, but there is no punishment acceptable for this. I'm going to have to expel the both of them."

Mr. Hatsune laughed in spite of the news. "Principal Toyoda lets not get too hasty."

He raised his brow. "Pardon me?"

He smiled. "Let's remember the fact that Kaito and Miku are only kids. It's inevitable that they'll make make stupid mistakes."

"That's true but―"

"And wouldn't expelling them only bring questions?"

"Well yes that's true but―"

"I think a three week suspension should be sufficient enough." He suggested, his eyes said otherwise.

Principal Toyoda looked like he was going to retort but changed his mind sighing in defeat. "Fine three weeks suspension it is, but if they're caught in any form of intimacy on school grounds again, it will be an automatic expulsion."

"Thank you." He smiled.

He turned to Kiyoteru. "Are you alright with that?"

He smiled weakly. "Yes."

The meeting went by quickly. The Hatsune's said their farewells. Kiyoteru and Kaito stuck around for a little while longer. Meiko watched as Kiyoteru discussed something important with Principal Toyoda while Kaito stood by his side clearly bored. He was in the middle of a yawn when he noticed her staring.

"Meiko-sensei?" He said going over to her.

She could hardly contain her blushing. "Y-yes?"

"Are you really as dense as you seem?"

She snapped out of la-la land. "Excuse me?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I have no idea if you're playing dumb or you really are stupid."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he continued. "How can you not see what's happening right under your nose?" He asked leaving her in the dust. Furious, she followed him out to confront him only to find an empty hallway.

She blinked. Where had he disappeared to?

Before she could even react, her arm was grabbed by a tall figure. The person dragged her to a far corner of the school. She was then thrown against the wall so hard her breath was knocked out of her. Once she stabilized her breathing she looked up finding a very angry Kiyoteru pinning her against the wall.

"What's wrong with you." He spat.

She glared at him. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You're the one that's dragging and pushing people around."

He shook his head. "I trusted you. I thought you would be able to protect Kaito these types of situations."

"There's only so much I can take, but after what he did..." An image of Kaito and Miku together in the equipment room popped into her head. She mentally destroyed the picture. "Disgusting, disgusting. It's disgusting." She said feeling tears of frustration well into her eyes.

Kiyoteru cupped her face, tilting it to an angle so her eyes could meet his. He observed her face for a moment before he finally understood. "Do...do you love him?" He murmured.

Her eyes widened in shock. She quickly answered, "W-what? No! Of course not. Kaito is only my student."

He pulled away from her. "I can't believe this. I knew I was a fool for trusting you, this confirms it." He said feeling more distressed than angry.

Meiko reached over to touch him, but he slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me!" He snapped.

Meiko retracted her arm holding on to her injured hand. She looked down at the floor in shame. "I'm sorry." She whispered. It was all she could say.

He breathed an exasperated sigh. He then turned to her giving her a stern look. "Forget everything that ever happened between us, everything I ever said to you, and stay away from Kaito." He said hissing the last order before he left.

Meiko's back fell against the wall as she slowly slid to the floor. She was in shock. Once she reached the ground, Kiyoteru's harsh words rung in her ears. She buried her face into her arms and cried.


	5. CH5

Meiko stirred the mug of her untouched beer, she wasn't in the mood for drinking. She felt awful. Nothing was going well for her right now. She had made an enemy of the three strangest people she knew, and now she didn't know if she would ever recover from the conflict. Looking into their eyes, she knew they all saw her as the scum of the earth.

She hadn't noticed Luka looking at her with concern. She had invited her for a night out in hopes of cheering her up, but the plan seemed to have failed. Luka cleared her throat. She was going to have to take the direct approach.

"Meiko?"

She flinched. She had forgotten about her friend. She put on a plastic smile and chugged down her beer. "Thanks for inviting me Luka. You're paying right? That means I'm going to drink to my hearts content!" She laughed.

Luka frowned placing her hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to pretend."

"Huh? What are you talking about."

"Meiko. Tell me what's wrong."

"Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Meiko." She said sternly. "I'm not an idiot."

Meiko bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn't hold it in any longer. She was an idiot for thinking she could keep anything from Luka. Taking a deep breath she broke down confessing everything to the pink haired female.

Meiko wiped her tears feeling a strange sense of relief after confessing everything. Even if it did mean losing a friend. A good one at that. Meiko got up preparing to leave her obviously disgusted friend, when she felt herself being pulled into a hug.

"You poor thing."

Meiko was surprised. The last thing she expected from her friend was a comforting hug. Sniffling she said, "You're not angry?"

She pulled away from the embrace. "Angry? Why would I be angry?" She sat back down and called out to the waitress. "Bring us your most expensive beer."

Meiko sat down. "What are you doing?"

She turned to her. "We're going to drink our sorrows away."

Meiko furrowed her brows. "_Our_?"

Luka sighed. "I broke up with my boyfriend."

"Are you okay?"

She smiled sadly. "I'm fine. I already knew we were just dragging in our relationship. It was only a matter of time for it to come to an end."

After a silence Meiko said, "Well if you ever want to start a new relationship there's always that dojo master, uh...Gakupo."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"He's not my type."She said taking their beers from the approaching waitress.

"Since when do you have a type?"

"Since right now."

Meiko took the hint and backed off on the subject. She poured beer into her empty mug staring at it for moment before Luka clinked her mug with hers. "To finding happiness." She toasted.

"To finding happiness." She mumbled, chugging the drink down.

The next morning Meiko entered her classroom feeling anxious. She took a deep breath trying to calm the knotting feeling in her stomach. She didn't understand what was wrong with her. She hadn't felt this nervous since her first day on the job.

Today would be no different than any other day. Minus two students, it would be a regular school day. Feeling reassured Meiko entered her classroom mumbling her morning greeting as usual before starting on the attendance.

The roll call was no different from usual. She had purposely skipped over Kaito and Miku's name. This had raised a few eyebrows, but Meiko hadn't noticed.

She put the attendance sheet away and moved away from her desk so she could start on her lesson. She was about to begin when she noticed one of her students, Gumi raising her hand.

"Yes?"

"What happened to Kaito and Miku? Is it true? Were they expelled?"

Meiko swallowed. "Where did you hear that?"

Cul rolled her eyes. "Do you think the school could ever expel anyone? They're too afraid of ruining the school reputation."

Gumi raised her brow. "What makes you say that?"

She motioned towards Len. "He's proof enough."

"Oi!" He snapped.

"You know I heard Kaito's a part of the yakuza." Miki whispered to Gumi.

Meiko was surprised. She never expected to hear such a rumour.

"The Yakuza?! Who told you that?"

She shrugged. "A friend of a friend saw him enter a Yakuza boss's mansion."

On the other side of the classroom her students also began to gossip.

"So...they're suspended then?" said SeeU

"I wonder what they did." Iroha muttered.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lily scoffed.

When Iroha gave her a questioning look she sighed and continued. "It's Miku. You all know how she is, moving on from one boy toy to the next."

Gumi gasped. "You don't think―" She didn't let herself finish.

"Kaito's fallen for her spell." Lily exclaimed.

Meiko slammed her desk. Her palm burned from the impact. "That's enough." She yelled.

The class was stunned into silence.

"Now lets move on to the lesson."

As she taught she thought about what her students had said. How had they known so much? The teachers were sworne to secrecy, so they weren't alowed to let anything slip. The last thing the principal wanted was rumours flying around school. Maybe the secretary's had gosspied about it while a student was within earshot. Well it didn't matter anymore. The truth was out and there was nothing she could do about it. But despite everything that hd happened, she didn't like her students talking about Kaito and Miku in such a negative light, especially not Kaito.

_...Stay away from Kaito_. Kiyoteru's words had found its way into her head again. Her fists shook with fury. Who was he to order her around? How dare he tell who she could and couldn't love. Her heart had already made its decision. If he didn't like it then it was his problem.

She sighed. If only she could say it to his face.

Meiko stared at the clock. Class was almost over, so she finished up with her lesson. "Now for homework―"

She was interuppted with a series of bothersome groans.

"Shut it!" She snapped. "You guys should be begging me for more homework especailly ssince your grades have all dropped. Now for homework read pages 336-378 then answer questions 1-27."

She heard several muffled complaints, but they all obliged and wrote down her instructions.

* * *

When school was over Meiko sat at her desk in the teachers lounge. She was preparing a lesson plan for tomorrow. She was in the middle of finalizing the lesson when she remembered Kaito and Miku. They still needed to have their homework delivered to them. She left the teachers lounge and headed towards the main office to find the school's courier. When he wasn't there she turned to the secretaries who gossiped about a new female teacher.

"Excuse Me." She interrupted. "Where's the the school courier?"

One of the secretaries turned to her. "Oh he broke his leg a while ago, so he won't be in for quite some time."

"I see." Meiko muttered."Is there a replacement courier then?"

"No."

"What?" Meiko's heart sunk. "But I have two students away and I need their homework delivered to them for the next three weeks."

She shrugged. "Not my problem."

Meiko stormed away nervously biting on her thumbnail. _Great_, she thought. That courier had impeccable timing. The one time she needed him he had to go off and break his leg.

Meiko went back to the teacher's lounge and stiffly sat in her chair. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't just go to her students houses and give them their homework. She doubted she'd be welcomed. Still it wasn't like she could ignore her two students for the next three weeks. They had to get their work somehow.

She clenched her fists. That's it. She was going to get this over with. She packed her things and threw on her jacket before heading out.

Meiko exited school property and made her way towards Miku's house. The walk was shorter than she remembered. It was probably because she really didn't want to make this trip. She shook her head. She had to (wo)man-up. She had already made her decision and she wasn't going to back down now.

Meiko's heart sunk once she realized she was facing the gates of the Hatsune estate. She looked for around for some sort of doorbell remembering Miku had pressed on it on her first visit to the house.

She found the button and gently pressed on it.

"Yes?" said a hoarse sounding woman through the intercom.

"Um, hello this is Hatsune Miku's teacher, Sakine Meiko?" She cleared her throat. "I'm here to deliver her homework."

There was a ten second pause before Meiko heard a buzzing noise. The gates had opened. She took a breath before she walked through the gates making her way towards the door. It too had creaked open. The maid had let her in.

"Her room is the first room upstairs on the right." The maid mumbled before she quickly went on with her business.

Meiko followed her instruction and made her way upstairs. Her heart clenched as she turned to the right of the hallway and found the door to Miku's room. She swallowed a painful lump in her throat before she knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" said a soft spoked Miku.

"It's Meiko-sensei."

Her voice hardened. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to deliver your homework."

"Leave it by the door and get out."

Meiko frowned. "Do you think I can come in?"

"No!" She yelled almost sounding desperate.

Meiko raised her brow. "Miku―"

"Get out before I call security." She hollered.

Meiko set down the homework and backed away cautiously. "Okay, okay. I'm leaving." She said trying to reassure her.

She went back downstairs wondering what was up with Miku. She knew she was still upset with her, but she sensed something else, something dangerous.

She paused in the middle of the staircase and looked above her shoulder. She was thinking of going back until she noticed one of the security guards glaring at her from the top of the staircase. She cringed in fear quickly turning away. She walked out the door speed walking out on the pavement when she stopped. Again, she looked over her shoulder staring at the balcony Miku had once stood on. The balcony was unoccupied. The regular Meiko would have been relieved, but the current Meiko felt uneasy by the emptiness.

Once she left the Hatsune property she headed for Kaito's house. She followed the directions of the mini map she had made herself. She was in a rush so her map ended up looking like chicken scratch. She hadn't seen the problem until she herself had tried to use it.

"Hmm.." She paused in the middle of a cross road. "Does this say to go to the left or the right?" She wondered.

She stared closely at her hand drawn map. She couldn't tell. She sighed. "Then it's right I go." She said turning to the other crossroad.

She seemed to have taken the right path. She was starting to realize where she was headed. She was getting close to Kaito's house. She looked around admiring mansions she passed. Most were Western styled while others followed the traditional Japanese way.

Meiko stopped in her tracks once she realized she was in front of Kaito's did not acknowledge the house for its large size nor marvel at its beauty, instead colour drained from her face in the result of shock and fear she faced.

Her students had been right. Meiko was currently standing in front of a yakuza household.

Meiko backed away from the house nervously walking around in circles. Oh god, Was Kaito really the son of a yakuza boss? Was she really standing in front of a yakuza boss' mansion?

She starting to gnaw on her thumb nail. What was she supposed to do now? She had promised herself she would never involve herself with the yakuza, not after she had vowed to change herself and become a teacher, but she knew she couldn't just leave. She had face her fears and at least attempt to confront Kaito.

Once Meiko had made her resolve she turned towards the wooden gate of the mansion surprised to see someone already there.

A thin suspicious looking man with a glare impossible to hide through his dark shades and scar that ran across his forehead stared at her with distrust. "What're are you doin' hanging around here?"

Meiko tried to appear calm."Hello. I'm Sakine Meiko,Kaito's homeroom teacher. I'm here to deliver his homework."

He stared at her with confusion clearly written all over his face before a look of realization hit him."Oh so you're the snitch." He said grabbing the homework materials away from her.

Meiko swallowed. "What?"

"You heard right. Snitch."

She decided to ignore his insult. "Do you think I can see Kaito?"

"Sorry but the young master don't wanna see you. Ya see 'round here in our business we don't like rats such as yerself." He said giving her the same look everybody else seemed to be giving her these days.

Meiko's heart clenched in shame. These days, she really was starting to feel like the scum of the earth.

She bowed. "I'm sorry. I'll just come by and put Kaito's homework in the mailbox from now on."

"You better." He said going inside the gate and slamming it behind him.

Meiko sighed as she started to walk away. Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed a figure coming towards her. Meiko started to panic once she realized who it was. Kiyoteru.

_Calm down Meiko. You'll be fine as long as you tell him the truth._

He was just inches away from her now, and she started to blurt out everything all at once. "Don't misunderstand. I was just her to―"

He walked past her not even acknowledging her presence.

Meiko flushed feeling a mixture of both anger and embarrassment. Was this really how it was going to be like from now on? Was she going to be ignored and mistreated everywhere she went?

She couldn't live like this anymore. Something had to change, and if this cruel fate of her's wasn't going to change then she was going to have to change it herself.

Meiko blinked away tears that were fighting to fall. "I can do it."


	6. CH6

Luka sighed as she left Crypton Records. She worked at the main branch as the secretary of the president and part-time scout. It had always been a dream of her's to work for Crypton records. She looked up to many singers produced by the company, and she always dreamed that one day she too would create Crypton's next big star, but her dream had stayed a dream as reality had slapped her across the face.

Ever since Luka had started working for Crypton records, the president-her boss constantly harassed her. In fact the only reason she had gotten her job was because of her pretty face. She had always believed she received the position because of her hard work. Finding out the truth had really hurt her pride.

The president had absolutely no respect for her. He would always sexually harass her with his dirty words and actions whenever he had time. Despite his cruelty he would usually leave her alone whenever she had a boyfriend, but that didn't stop him from hiring private investigators from stalking her every move.

Her previous boyfriend had broken up from her because he found out about the truth, he'd said: "I don't want to make enemies with people I can't handle." and now that she was single the president had started to come on to her. Ha! As if he stood a chance with her. She hated his type the most. Just because he had money he thought he could do whatever he wanted. The man even had a wife! The slime ball. He had absolutely no shame. He was crazy if he thought Luka would subject herself into becoming "the other woman."

Luka wanted to tell her friend Meiko about everything that's been going on in her life, but she was currently facing problems of her own. Luka didn't want to give her more worries.

"Megurine-san" She heard the oh so familiar voice call from the tinted window of a stretched limousine.

She continued to walk.

"Don't be like that."

She stopped, as did the limo. "For the millionth time I'm not interested."

"But you're single aren't you? I've been kind enough to leave you alone every time you hitched yourself with a new boyfriend."

Luka pursed her lips. Kind? Kind he says? This man wouldn't know what kindness was if it hit him in the face. Did he actually think that his "kindness" was going to result in her going out with him? If so the president was a lot dumber than she originally thought.

She bit her tongue. It was the only thing stopping her from yelling at the bastard, but there was only so much she could say.

"Aren't you married?" She asked already knowing what he was going to say.

He laughed. "We're only married for appearance purpose That whore already has a man hidden in her quarters. Besides it you I have feeling for."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He didn't have feelings for her. He knew nothing about her. All the men that approached her were the same. They only loved her for her body, and they all sputtered pretty words in hopes of capturing her heart, but when it came to the actual relationship and getting to know her, none of them knew what to do.

"I'm sorry but I already have a boyfriend." She lied.

His face fell. "Don't lie. You just broke up with that loser yesterday."

She shrugged. "What can I say I'm popular."

He was enraged. "I've waited too long for you. " He snapped. "Who's your new bastard of a boyfriend?"

"You don't know him. He's coming to pick me up so I suggest you leave."

"No! I want to see who this guy is." A sly grin crawled up his face. "Unless you're lying about the whole thing."

Her heart stopped. He was starting to suspect the truth. Luka didn't let her uneasiness show on her face. With confidence she said, "I wouldn't make this up. He really is coming to pick me up."

"What's his name?" He asked.

Luka pretended she didn't hear him. Turning around she grabbed the next man that passed her and pulled him into a hug. "Darling!" She squealed. "You're late."

"D-darling?" Said an obviously confused voice.

_Oh please just play along_. She silently pleaded.

The stranger turned to the president. "Uncle?"

"Kiyoteru?" said the president.

Luka froze. It was all over. Out of all people she had to grab a hold of it just had to be the president's nephew.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I came here to see my girlfriend."

Luka's heart skipped a beat. He understood after all! But why would he take her side, she wondered.

"Y-you two really know each other?" asked the president in a defeated tone.

The man smiled. "Yes. May I ask how you know her."

"She's my secretary."

"Oh my what a coincidence." He laughed.

His uncle joined in the laughter, but Luka could hear the strain in his voice.

The man held on to Luka's hand. The president could hardly contain his dismay.

"Well then I guess I be going then." He said. "Drive, Suzuki." He snapped, and the limo drove out of sight.

Luka breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to the stranger and bowed in thanks. "Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it."

"Raise your head. " He said gently.

She looked up at him. She took in every detail of his handsome face. He had long dark hair that fell over his forehead, Large beautiful brown eyes that were framed with thick lashes, pale skin, and luscious looking lips. Luka was used to looking at handsome men, but her heart beat at the sight of him.

"I should apologize to you. I've been well aware of my uncles lustrous affairs, but I haven't done anything to stop them." He sighed recalling the large number of women that resigned due to his uncle. "It seems you're his next target."

Luka frowned. Was the president really that out of control? She started to worry for her own well-being.

"Don't worry. Now that my uncle thinks we're lovers, he's sure to leave you alone."

"Go out with me for real." Luka said the words before she could even think about what she was saying.

The man blinked in surprise. "You hardly even know me. We're strangers "

"What was your name was again?"

"...Kiyoteru. Hiyama Kiyoteru."

_Kiyoteru_? She thought. She heard the name before. Oh that's right, Kiyoteru was that jerk Meiko would ramble on about during their night outs, but this Kiyoteru and the Kiyoteru Meiko had spoken about had to be two very different people. The Kiyoteru that Meiko talked about was just your average city jerk. Hiyama Kiyoteru was her guardian angel that had saved her from the demon that had tried to bring her to her downfall.

She extended her arm towards him. "I'm Megurine Luka."

He hesitantly shook her hand, wondering just what she was up to.

She smiled. "There. We're not strangers anymore."

Kiyoteru couldn't help but laugh. He found her determination quite cute. "Fine you win Ms. Megurine. I'll go out with you."

She smiled. "Just call me Luka."

* * *

Luka was able to go to work actually feeling happy. It had only been a little over a week, but she and Kiyoteru had really hit off. They had gotten close, fast. She thought it was about time she introduced him to Meiko, but she wanted to keep Kiyoteru known to herself for just a little while longer.

She grinned to herself. She couldn't help it. She was happy. She had become radiant because of her new found happiness. She was so vibrant, other co-workers including her boss had noticed.

"Luka-san?"

She looked up from her work and smiled. "Yes?" Her smile dropped once she realized her boss was standing in front of her.

"I need to see you in my office."

Luka's heart beat in an uncontrollable rate. What did he want with her? Was he going to fire her now that she had Kiyoteru? Or maybe he was going to ignore the fact that she was in a relationship with his nephew and try to have his way with her. Luka swallowed. Whatever he wanted, she knew it wasn't going to be good.

They entered his office. Luka stood by the door, unsure if what he was about to do next would cause her to run away.

The president looked over his shoulder and sighed. "Take a seat."

"Yes sir." She take sitting in the middle of three leather seats that faced her boss' desk.

The president continued to stand. He had his back to her as he looked out of the window with his arms held behind him.

There was a long uncomfortable silence. It became more and more awkward as the the seconds past.

Luka couldn't stand the silence any longer. She cleared her throat and asked, "What did you need to see me for?"

He sighed. "I've been doing some thinking over the past couple of days..."

Luka resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Thinking required having a brain.

"And I realized I've been wrong about everything I've done to you."

Luka blinked. Did he just say what she thought he said?

He finally sat down. His face was flushed a deep red, his eyes refused to meet her's. "Kiyoteru came to see me the other day and...well he really showed me how wrong I was. I'd really like to give you my deepest apologies. I know words aren't enough to fix this, but I'm willing to offer you a different position."

She raised a brow. "A different position?Can you do that?"

"Of course. Your resume was outstanding. You also have the education and skills to become a producer."

"A...a producer. You're actually going to let me become a producer!?" She always figured she would have to work the small jobs before she could move on top.

"Yes, but there is one condition."

She nodded her head urging him to go on.

"You must find a talent within one months time."

A month? How did he expect her to find someone musically gifted in a month. A year was a logical amount of time. After all she needed to find an incredibly talented singer. She didn't want to be the one to tarnish Crypton's reputation.

Luka listened as her boss filled her in all the details. Just as he said she would become a producer who would scout her own talent within a thirty days. Then for the next couple of months would Luka and a series of other musicians help her create an album with a series of songs their future star would sing to. That's right. Luka was on board the next-star project. It was such a huge opportunity, she didn't know if she could do it.

"This could heavily weigh on the future of Crypto if I fail." She warned.

He nodded his head. "True, but Kiyoteru believes you can do it. I decided I'd take his word for it."

Luka felt her face starting to go red. "D-did he really say that?"

"Yes." After a pause he asked, "So do you think you can do it?"

A look of confidence flashed in her eyes. "Yes, sir."

* * *

When Luka finished work she exited the office and headed outside. She spotted Kiyoteru waiting for her by the entrance, it had started to become a regular routinue for Kiyoteru to pick her up after his work was over.

Kiyoteru seemed to be in a far off place, she noted as she slowly crept behind him.

Once she was close enough she grabbed him by surprise. Kiyoteru was startled by the sudden attack, but only sighed once he noticed long cheery-blossom like hair flowing in the wind.

"You almost gave me a heart attack." He said.

She laughed. "Sorry."

Hugging him tighter she whispered, "Thank you."

He furrowed his brows. "For what?"

"For showing the president the wrongness of his ways." _And for releasing me from my heavy shackles_, she thought. "How did you manage to convince him anyway?"

"You'd be amazed what a few scandalous pictures can do to a person." He smiled recalling the memory of the dastardly incident.

Luka remembered the look of nervousness and embarrassment imprinted on the president's face."I see." She said breaking away from the embrace. "Well, shall we go?"

He nodded. "Where to?"

Despite Luka's thoughts of keeping Kiyoteru to herself, she thought it would be an appropriate time introduce Kiyoteru to Meiko. Holding his hand she said, "I want you to meet my best friend."


	7. CH7

Meiko sat in the corner of the cafe. She impatiently tapped her foot as she stirred the cream in her coffee. She was waiting on Luka. She received an emergency text earlier in the day stating that she was to meet her here at five-o'clock sharp. Luka rarely sent her emergency texts so this must have been very important.

As important as it may be, Luka couldn't have worse timing. Meiko had planned to give another attempt in confronting her students. Those two were really starting rile her chains. Both of them gave little to no effort in their work, and there was nothing she could do about it, no thanks to the "body guards" that would get in her way. Just by looking in their eyes she knew that the wouldn't hesitate to seriously harm her, or worse. Especially those yakuza's.

Meiko was strong, but she wasn't strong enough to take on a dozen armed men. Today however, she had decided on risking it all, she was going to finally take a stand. This suspension situation was getting out of hand. Meiko's duty as a teacher had caused her two students to become seclusive. From what she heard, neither had left their rooms for over a week!

Meiko sighed as she took a sip of her coffee. Her motivation for finally going against those annoying bodyguards and reaching out to her students had disappeared. She had felt so confident deciding to go the distance, but that was until she received Luka's text. Of course the regular Meiko could have just called her and said she couldn't make it, but she knew the current Meiko had deeply relied on her friend's comfort and support over the past couple weeks. It was about time Meiko be there for her.

"Meiko!" She heard Luka call.

Meiko got up from her seat to greet her. "Hey Luka━"

She froze.

Meiko noticed a familiar figure holding her friend's hand. Similar to her, he wore a shocked expression.

It was Kiyoteru.

* * *

Meiko shifted uncomfortably in her seat hardly listening to Luka as she bubbly explained her first encounter with her new _boyfriend_. Kiyoteru could barely contain the look of strain pressed onto to his face. It was obvious he didn't want to be here. Meiko's presence bothered him.

When Luka finished talking Kiyoteru excused himself to the men's room, and the two women were left in each other's company.

"So." Luka chimed. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" She repeated.

"Yes. About Kiyoteru."

"Well...I'm thinking a lot things right now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh I don't know...maybe out of all people you had to date it had to be Kiyoteru?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"Are you making fun of me? Is that it?" Meiko yelled.

"Meiko..."

"Even after I told you everything about that monster, you go behind my back and date him?" Really?"

"No way." Her voice quivered. " Don't tell me the Kiyoteru you talked about and my Kiyoteru are the same person?

Meiko rolled her eyes. "As if you didn't know. Kiyoteru isn't exactly a common name."

"Well when he introduced himself to me I did think of the Kiyoteru you talked about, but I never thought they were the same person. He's different from how you described him to be. He's kind, and sweet. I've never met anyone else like him."

Meiko was angered. She hated the loving look Luka had when she talked about him. "So now you're taking his side?"

"Meiko━"

Kiyoteru came back from the bathroom and sensed the tension between the two ladies. "What's going on?"

Meiko's eyes traveled between them. Her eyes stopped to meet Luka's deep blue ones. Tears were starting to form in them. She quickly tore away from them as she started to gather her things. "I wish you two all the happiness you deserve." She spat.

"Meiko." Luka yelled after her, but she ignored her as she exited the coffee shop.

Meiko paused by the coffee shop's window giving a sideways glance at couple. Luka buried her face in her arms as her upper body trembled from her sobs. Kiyoteru embraced her doing the best he could to comfort her, but it was no use. Luka continued to cry.

Kiyoteru felt he was being watched. He turned around noticing Meiko looking at them. His eyes met with hers. He shot her his iciest glare which caused Meiko flinch. She turned around continuing to walk. Chills ran down her spine. Never had she felt so afraid from a mere look before. His eyes were like daggers. They seemed to pierce her soul.

As Meiko walked, regret seemed to weigh heavy on her shoulders. The weight seemed to get heavier with every step she took. What had she done? She vowed to be there for Luka after all the support she'd given her, and what did she do? She accused her of betrayal. Meiko had told Luka a lot about Kiyoteru, but that didn't mean she personally knew him. She didn't even know how he looked like. How could she have known her boyfriend was her enemy?

Meiko wasn't stupid. She had known that when she yelled at Luka. It was common sense afterall. But...then why was she so frustrated with her? She had no reason to be angry at her. It wasn't like she was jealous of her relationship with Kiyoteru. She had her own forbidden love-interest.

She stopped walking.

Wait. Was she jealous? No! That was preposterous. Meiko hated Kiyoteru..Ever since the day he had found out about her feelings or Kaito. He made her feel like garbage, like she was nothing. Meiko was not jealous. She was just feeling a bit uneasy, that was all. The feeling would pass soon enough.

Meiko turned back and ran as fast as she could. She was going back to the coffee shop. Kaito and Miku would have to wait, she was going to apologize to Luka for her previous outbursts first.

Meiko arrived at the entrance of the cafe tired and out of breath. She scanned the room looking for her friend, but all she found were strangers and empty tables. She sighed, regret took a tight grasp of her heart as she exited the shop.

"You're a real piece of work you know that?"

She flinched. It was Kiyoteru. He leaned by the wall of the shop with his arms crossed as he glared at her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Waiting for you. I knew you'd come back eventually."

"And so you were going to wait here until I did?"

"Maybe."

Somehow hearing him say that made her a bit happy. Happy? Oh no, no, no! She wasn't happy. She knew the sudden confrontation with Kiyoteru was nothing to be glad about. In fact, she should have been scared out of her wits end, especially after their last confrontation. She should have ran for dear life, instead she found her feet firmly planted to the ground.

"What do you want?"

"Luka wanted me to tell you she's sorry, even though she has no reason to apologize to _you_."

She clenched her fists. She was guilty and felt so very embarrassed. Meiko was the one who had taken out her frustrations out on her yet Luka was the one apologize. Meiko was a failure as a friend and as a person.

"Where is she?"

He shrugged. "She said she wanted to be alone for a while." After a pause he said. "I wouldn't suggest meeting her right now, if that's what you were planning."

"Fine." She started to leave.

"Oh, and Meiko?"

She turned around. "Yes?"

"You were right. Kaito and that Miku girl make a wonderful couple."

She rolled her eyes. "If this this is your way of trying to make me angry it's not going to work."

"Whatever you say."

Something in Meiko snapped. "What's your problem? Why do you hate me so much? Is loving Kaito such a big crime, if so, why do you even care?" Meiko yelled.

She had made him angry. As much as he tried to restrain it, she could still see the darkness in his eyes, and the uncontrollable twitching of his brows. "Because he's━"

He gasped, quickly stopping himself from continuing.

"He's what? A part of the yakuza? I already know that."

He glared at her. "You. Know. Nothing." He spat. "You have no idea how saying one simple sentence has changed everything for Kaito, or for your students."

"My students?"

He smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. "Kaito told me about it, though he didn't have to. Just one visit to your school and I knew."

Meiko was confused as the readers. "Knew what? What are you talking about?"

He huffed a laugh. "It's sad really. How blind you are, or maybe you unconsciously choose to ignore it, but I pity your students the more. The poor things don't even have a teacher they could open up to."

Meiko blushed. She had a complex about that. She knew her students saw her as a tough conniving monster of a teacher, and hearing that from Kiyoteru didn't make her feel any better.

He sighed."Well, Luka's friend or not, I hope I don't have to see you anytime soon." He said leaving.

Ignoring his insult, Meiko was left deep in thought. What did Kiyoteru mean by what he said, she wondered.

It seemed everybody knew something she didn't. What exactly had Meiko caused when Kaito and Miku's suspension had been finalized? What exactly was she blind to? So many questions she wanted to ask, but there was no one that could give her the answers.

Meiko groaned. There was a lot she needed to do. She had to apologize to Luka, investigate the school and her students, and attempt to get through Kaito and Miku, somehow.

"One step at a time." She muttered.


	8. CH8

**A/N If you happen to see lyrics, it's Miku's song "Hirari Hirari" *nudge nudge, wink wink***

Miku sat outside the Kamui dojo's patio, quietly sipping on her tea. It was a warm spring afternoon. The sky was a crystal blue and not a single cloud occupied its flawless beauty. The sun was shining bright as usual. Its light tingled on her skin as a soft wind blew through her hair. It truly was relaxing being outdoors. It was a nice change after spending the past two weeks cooped up in her room.

She sighed. She was reaching the end of her suspension. Despite her punishment, she felt quite contempt being away from everything. No more teachers, no more schoolmates, or parents (this was due to a recent business trip of theirs), everything was just...peaceful.

Miku was enjoying the quiet until she heard a commotion going on in the dojo.

"Misaki put that sword down. It's not a toy." She heard Gakupo, the dojo master yell.

Two dozen children simultaneously started giggled at the scene going on inside.

"Don't encourage him." He said in a defeated tone.

Miku bit back a laugh as she took another sip of her tea. Chaos was a common scene in the Kamui dojo. Gakupo had no control over his students. She figured the reason being the fact that no one could take him seriously. He seemed to enjoy playing the cool macho man act, but his true self would always fall through.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set. The students had all gone home, by now Gakupo had joined Miku by the porch. They didn't greet each other, they didn't glance at each other, they didn't even speak to one another, at least not yet. They were waiting, waiting for _her_.

It was around this time would Gakupo pathetically display his emotions to the pretty girl that walked past the dojo on her way home. Miku had no idea why he would persist on the girl even though it was obvious she didn't like him.

It was a long while before Miku spoke. "Maybe she's not coming today." she said.

"Of course she's coming today. Where else would she go?"

She shrugged. "Oh I don't know...her boyfriend's place?"

He covered his ears. "La la la, I can't hear you." He shouted.

She rolled her eyes. "You're so immature."_ But that's what I love about you_, she thought.

Miku glanced at the happy expectant, looking Gakupo. Her heart clenched in jealousy. She wished he would look at her like that. Of course that was impossible. Gakupo only saw her as a little sister, worse yet, he even made Miku start calling him_ Gakupo-nii_.

They sat in silence for another ten minutes before Miku noticed a tall pretty woman with pink hair that bobbed with every step she took. Miku didn't have to warn Gakupo of her arrival, because the next thing she knew, the dojo master shot up from his place shouting the girl's name.

"LUKKAA-SAAN." He yelled lovingly.

Miku covered her madly ringing ear while Luka cringed at the sound of his voice. She turned their way, glaring him, probably cursing him her head. For a moment she looked like she was about to say something, but she only rolled her eyes and turned away.

Miku shook her head. "I don't think she likes you."

He sighed, his head hanging low. "I'll get more tea." He mumbled.

He came back with a steaming pot of green tea. He poured it into two traditional japanese styled cups. Gakupo sat, picking up his cup, gently blowing on it before taking a sip.

"So." He said in a calm tone. "What brings you hear?"

"Do I need a reason to visit?" She asked in a sharp tone.

"No, of course not." Taking another sip he said, "But you do seem to have a lot on your mind."

"What makes you say that?"

He stared at the red velvet notebook that laid beside her. "Well you've brought _that_ with you."

Miku took a hold of it, pulling it close to her chest. Her notebook was important to her. It contained all her thoughts and feelings that had surfaced from deep within her heart. She didn't know what she'd do if she ever lost it.

Miku untensed, slowly placing the book beside her. Sighing, she said, "I'm going back to school soon."

"Oh." He said surprised. "Isn't that a good thing?"

She frowned. "I guess." Miku didn't have the heart to tell him the truth, the fact that she hated her school with passion. She bounced off the porch, dusting off her backside. " I think I should go."

"Wait." He called.

She turned to him. "Yes?"

"Before you go... sing me a song?"

She smiled weakly. "Okay." _Only for you._ "But I have to warn you, I haven't gotten the tune perfected yet."

He shook his head. "Anything you sing is wonderful."

Happiness swelled within Miku as she took a breath and sang.

_kisetsu kuri kaesu tabi_

_hoture teku kizuna o_

_tsuyoku tsuyoku daki shime te_

_naku sanu yō_

Gakupo eyes widened in surprise At least she thought it was surprise. She wasn't particularly gifted in reading faces, and she definitely couldn't read his. Miku wondered if he made that face because her singing wasn't up to par. She had no need to worry because Gakupo soon closed his eyes, listening to Miku's melody.

_kakaeta kotoba no omotasa ni_

_ugoke naku natte_

_tada atataka na yume ni obore teta_

_kizu keba kimi o mi ushinai_

_tabane daki shime teta sugata o_

_yawaraka ni chirashi te akaku_

_itai hodo ni sore wa yaki tusi te_

_hirari hirari hirari_

_sora e umi e dokoka tōku e_

_kimi e hitohira demo todoku yōni_

_tsumugi kizuna no sono iro ga_

_hira rira hira rirari_

_itsuka kasure te iku omoi wa_

_chira sareta setsuna ni sai te_

_kuchiru to shitte nao azayaka ni_

_hirari hirari hirari_

_nido to tsuge rare nai kotoba mo_

_kimi e saigo kurai todoku yōni_

_sotto ame no yōni furu koe_

_hira rira hirari rari_

When Miku finished her song, she looked over at Gakupo. "Beautiful." He said as he wiped a tear from his eye. "When you become a famous singer, I'm going to tell everyone I knew you."

She laughed. She knew she wasn't all that great. She figured Gakupo like to shower her with praise just to make her feel better. After all, he knew she wasn't one the happiest girls in Japan.

"While we're at it, you can give me a signed album too!"

She giggled. "Bye bye."

Miku left the dojo and started to head for home, but first she was going to make a trip to the convenience store. She was going to buy ice cream to cool herself from drinking all that hot tea.

She found one not far from the dojo and entered the store. Cool air blasted on her way in. She traveled to the back of the store where she found the freezer. She slid the glass cover open and searched through several different flavours until she came across strawberry. She reached over for the tub of ice cream and brought it to the front counter.

Miku feeling satisfied with her purchase turned to her regular route home. She quickened her pace. She wanted to get home before the ice cream melted. She jogged on a tidy barren road, she could see an intersection up ahead. It was over there, would she turn left.

Once she reached the intersection she paused glancing at the left road for any passing bodies. There were none, so she proceeded.

Miku pulled out her phone, checking the time. It was half past seven. She'd been gone for awhile. She hoped the maid wouldn't tell her father. It took all her persuasive might to convince her not to inform her father of her escape. It was hard. The staff had been placed on strict orders to keep her inside. Mr. Hatsune didn't want to have any more stains on the Hatsune name.

Of course, it was always reputation first, family second. As infamous as the Hatsune family was in the business world, there was something off about them. When colleagues and business partners visited the family at the Hatsune estate, the first thought that would cross their minds was:_ "Ah, what a perfect family."_, yet they couldn't help but feel something wasn't right about them, something was missing. _"Oh I see, there is no sense of kinsmanship, or love_. _How sad."  
_

Miku remembered hearing those words years ago, from one of her father's drunken colleagues. The sentence had crushed her forever. It was that day she had truly given up.

Miku noticed a figure walking in a direction opposite from her's. She squinted at the distance trying to make out the person. It was rare to see a someone else on the roads besides her. As Miku came closer to the figure, she couldn't shake off the sense of familiarity that had washed over her. She soon understood why. A boy with intense blue hair and eyes was coming her way.

Miku froze. She was in panic mode. What was she supposed to do? She didn't want to meet Kaito here, now, or ever. She had run into him the last time she went out. He was together with his glasses-wearing companion, Kiyoteru. She'd seen during the meeting of their punishment. Then again she wasn't so sure. So many things were running through her mind during both those encounters.

She quickly turned around, and started to walk the other way. She decided she'd walk back to the intersection and find another route home. For a moment, Miku actually thought she'd actually make it. She was almost at the intersection. One right turn and she'd be out of sight. Almost...almost...almost↽

"Ah, Miku?"

Dammit! Slowly turning around, she faced an unsure looking Kaito. His eyes gleamed with recognition as his eyes met hers.

He smiled. "I thought it was you."

"Y-yes. Well I'll be going now." She said about to make a run for it

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're not running away this time."

* * *

Kaito and Miku sat at a park bench. They both were watching the beautiful spring scenery as they ate their tubs of ice cream in silence, that's right Kaito had his own tub of vanilla flavoured ice cream. He described himself as being an ice cream addict, which surprised Miku. She never saw him being the type of person that would like sweet things like ice cream, he was more stoic in her mind.

"We'll be returning to school on Monday." He said breaking the silence.

Her stomach knotted while her throat clamped shut. "I know." She said managing to say the words.

"Will you be okay?" He asked.

She could only nod.

Miku noticed Kaito's clenching fist. "Damn that teacher, Meiko-sensei. If only she'd take notice, if only she'd intervened then none of this would have happened."

Miku said nothing. It wasn't just Meiko-sensei, there were so many other faces that Miku thought about that had caused her misery, and Kaito's. At this point Miku didn't know what do, or if the problem would ever stop. She'd lost count of all the suicidal thoughts she had since she became a high school student. Maybe if she just killed herself she'd finally become happy━

"Miku?"

"Yes!" She snapped out of her diluted fantasy.

"Did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry, what did you say."

"I said I told Kiyoteru about your situation, all of it."

Miku had a bloodrush. Pure rage pumped through her veins. "You did what?" Her voice quivered with anger.

"Miku, please just listen to me." His hand reached out to her, but she slapped it away.

"How could you? Since that day━you promised!" She yelled. Throwing away her ice cream, she ran.

"Miku, wait." He said running after her.

She didn't hear him, she just ran as fast as she could. Her legs started to go go numb, and her chest started to hurt, but she ignored the pain. She was almost there.

She could see it now, the dojo. Miku braked once she reached the dojo's large wooden gate. She made a fist then banged on the gate as hard as she could. "Gakupo-nii━" She shook her head. This was no time for honorifics. "Gakupo, Gakupo!" She screamed.

Miku heard rushed steps on the other side of the gate before it was opened. A worried looking Gakupo emerged. "Miku, what on earth━"

She didn't let him finish and quickly hid behind him. She soon heard Kaito's footsteps approach the gate. "Miku." he said out of breath.

"Go away." She hollered.

"Who are you?" She heard Gakupo say in a threatening tone.

"Miku." He said frustrated. "I need to speak with her."

"Well she doesn't want to speak with you." Gakupo said coldly. He pushed him out of the way before he slammed the gate shut.

"Miku!" Kaito yelled, his voice muffled. "Tomorrow at the park I'll wait for you. I'll wait all night if I have to." He said before Miku heard footsteps walk away from the gate.

Gakupo waited a moment before he spoke. "Who was that?"

"Nobody."

"That didn't sound like nobody."

"He's just someone I know."

"A...stalker?"

"Can we not talk about this?" She snapped.

"Fine." he said. "Do you want to stay over?"

She blushed. "What?"

"I'll inform your parents first of course."

"No! I mean, that's okay I can do it myself."

He squinted his eyes in suspicion. "Hmm...if you're sure."

She nodded.

* * *

Miku rested in one of Gakupo's spare room's wearing one of his oversized pajamas. She had informed the maid of her evening plans with her female friend _Gakuko_, much to her dismay, she agreed she would keep this secret. She was grateful.

She laid on the futon that Gakupo had put out for her. She didn't feel sleepy. To pass time she decided she would write in her notebook. Miku got up to search for her book when she froze to a shocking realization. She didn't have her notebook with her.

"Where is it? Where is it?" An image of Kaito and herself at the park flashed in her mind. She had kept it beside her when she was eating ice cream, but had completely forgotten about it when she ran away. How could she be so stupid? Her notebook was now out for the world to see.

She groaned. This was the worst.

* * *

The next morning, Miku woke up tired and unrefreshed. She hardly got any sleep. She was up all night thinking of her notebook. What if Kaito came across it? She shook her head. She wouldn't think of such negative thoughts so early in the morning.

Miku's hand searched the futon for her phone. She picked it up, checking the time. It was almost noon. Miku got up rubbing a tired eye. Looks like it wasn't so early after all.

Miku put the futon away, and changed out of her borrowed pyjamas. She then threw them in the hamper and changed into her own clothes. She left the room, searching the dojo for Gakupo. She found him out by the patio, drinking tea as usual.

Miku cleared her throat to get his attention.

He turned to her and smiled. "Oh, good morning. Did you sleep well?"

She blushed. She felt like such a kid. "Yes." After a pause she mumbled "Thanks for everything."

His smile grew. Getting up he asked, "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I really should be going now."

"Well okay, but at least take some of these snacks." He said forcibly giving her five large boxes of Japanese sweets. "Oh and take my umbrella, It's going to rain today." He said hooking it to her arm.

"Okay." She laughed. She started to walk away, but stopped to say a farewell. "Bye, bye. Don't be disappointed when Luka ignores you." Miku wanted to hit herself. She didn't mean to sound rude or ungrateful, especially after all he did for her.

"You're so cruel." Gakupo said jokingly.

Right. That's all she'd ever be.

* * *

Miku walked to the park. She was only going to find her notebook and go home. In no way was she going to meet that blue-haired demon. That liar could go die in a hole for all she cared.

Miku quickly found the bench she sat on last time. To her relief, she found her notebook untouched. Thinking of Kaito, she wondered when was she supposedly going to meet him. He said he'd be waiting here, but he didn't exactly specify what time he would arrive. Looking around the empty park she wondered if she should spy on Kaito for a bit. She'd only be here for as long as Kaito would wait on her, which wouldn't be very long considering she made it clear she didn't want to see him.

Miku sat behind a large tree surrounded by bushes. She was out of sight to pass byers. Feeling a bit hungry, she opened up one of Gakupo's pastry boxes and decided to munch on a few sweets. As delicious as they were, the pastries left her mouth sticky and dry. She needed a drink. She recalled passing a water fountain not far from here.

Miku got up preparing to leave for a quick drink, when she stopped in her tracks. She quickly hid behind the tree, her heart beating rapidly. It was Kaito! He had arrived at just like he said he would.

She sighed. No worries. He'd be gone soon enough. In ten━twenty minutes at the most.

1 hour later~

Hmm...he stuck around longer than she expected. It was no big deal. She was sure he'd be gone soon enough.

2 hours later~

Was he still here? What did he want to say that was so important?

3 hours later~

Dark clouds started to form. Just like Gakupo said, it was going to rain. Miku reached out for her umbrella, slowly opening it while careful not to make a sound. The umbrella popped open just as the rain began to fall. Miku glanced at Kaito. He hadn't moved an inch from his position. She figured he'd leave when the rain would really begin to pour.

4 hours later~

He was still here. Heavy rain continued to pour. Guilt clenched Miku's heart. Wasn't he cold? He had stayed out for so long. Unlike Kaito, Miku was all bundled up and had an umbrella to keep her dry, so she was fine.

Clutching the handle of her umbrella, Miku left her hiding spot, slowly approaching Kaito.

Kaito hadn't noticed her. His blank vision was mainly focused on the ground. He noticed a pair of feet approach him. His eyes slowly made their way up to the face of a concerned looking Miku. He stood up. "Miku..." He said breathlessly surprised. "I didn't think you'd come."

Miku fought back angry tears. "Why are you still here? How could you wait four hours for me, are you an idiot? Didn't I say I didn't want to see you?"

Kaito held his hand out to her. Miku didn't slap his hand away this time, instead she slowly extended her arm out to his. Touching the palm of his hand she flinched. It was so _cold_.

Kaito squeezed her hand and whispered, "But you came."

* * *

Kaito and Miku stood hand in hand under a shelter. Miku sat in silence as she waited for Kaito to speak. She had almost forgotten the reason why they were supposed to meet in the first place.

While she waited, she realized she was still holding on to Kaito's hand. She found it to be embarrassing, but refused to let the embarrassment show on her face. Besides, it seemed Kaito wasn't going to let go any time soon.

"Yesterday." He began. "I wanted to tell you that Kiyoteru can help you with your situation."

"How?" She asked. While Kiyoteru was your average working class citizen, he didn't look like he could do much.

"He has his ways."

"Then why hasn't he helped with your situation?" She was already well aware of the heavy burden placed on Kaito's shoulders.

"Oh, he has. More than you could ever imagine" A dark expression crossed his face. "But it's too late for me."


	9. CH9

Meiko sighed as she entered her classroom. She was feeling a bit depressed. Kaito and Miku's three week suspension was over. Their presence would be a constant reminder that she had failed to get through to them.

"Good morning." She muttered as the bell rang. She received a few weak responses before she picked up the attendance sheet. Just as she was about to call the first name on the list, the door slid open. Both Kaito and Miku stepped inside.

The class was in immediate uproar. Meiko clicked her tongue, clearly frustrated. Why did they have to do this? The two of them coming to school together just added a bit of truth to every rumour that circled around them.

"Quiet down." She snapped. The class immediately returned to its silence. "Now Kaito, Miku its nice to have you back━"

"Yeah right." She heard Lily mutter.

Meiko shot her a look and continued "Do you have the work I assigned?"

"No." said Miku.

No surprise there.

"Kaito?"

"I didn't do it."

There was murmur of concern that traveled across the classroom. Meiko could only breath an exasperated sigh. After all the heart wrench she had to face to deliver his homework, the insults of those yakuza's, her pride slowly diminishing with every visit, he tells her he didn't do any of it? Yakuza boss' son, forbidden love, it didn't matter any more, he was receiving punishment

"Both of you see me after school." She said hardly able to contain the strain in her voice.

All eyes followed her two students as they took their seats. Meiko awkwardly cleared her throat to bring the attention away from them. She then began roll call, going through every name in order. She was cautious not to skip over Kaito and Miku's name. Still she felt strange calling out their names. After three weeks of skipping over them, their names felt foreign to her.

Once she was done with attendance, she began her lesson. As she taught, Meiko felt the classroom had an eerie silence. No. It was more of a heavy atmosphere. She wondered if it was caused by Kaito and Miku's return.

She remembered what Kiyoteru had said about the school, he had been vague so she didn't understand what he'd meant by his statement, but she kept her eyes open as usual. Still she wondered if this dark crushing feeling had always been a part of the classroom. Was she only just noticing this? She shook the thought away. Meiko was not slow or stupid to notice such a thing now. She probably just over thinking things because of the arrival of her two students.

* * *

Meiko hadn't realized how tense she was until class was dismissed. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief as her shoulders relaxed. Just when she thought she could rest, she heard an announcement:

"Meiko please come to the main office, you have a visitor."

She groaned. What was it now?

She made her way down to the office, already in a bad mood. She'd been called down to office one too many times, and it was always Kiyoteru that had been the one to call for her. She stopped by the door. Was it Kiyoteru that had come to visit her? No, it couldn't be him. Kiyoteru didn't want to see her. He'd said so himself.

Opening the door she found Luka. She looked wearily at the secretaries that gave her jealous stares before she noticed her presence. Luka looked at her with a gleam of hope in her eyes. "Oh, Meiko you're here." She said relieved.

"Luka? What are you doing here?"

Glancing at the secretaires she said, "Let's talk somewhere else."

Outside, they sat on a bench in front of an open field where they ate their lunches.

"I always knew you worked in an upscale school, but I had no idea it was this fancy." Luka said as she took a sip of her canned green tea.

"Well we are funded by Crypton Records."

She smiled. "Thus the name Crypton High."

"Yes. So why did you come to visit me today?"

"Can't I visit my best friend without being questioned about it?"

"No."

She sighed. "Well to be honest I did come in favor of Kiyo."

Meiko raised her brow at the nickname. "What does he want?"

"He said he wants information on a few of your students."

"Huh?" Did she hear wrong? "He wants information on my students?"

"Yes." She pulled out a slip of paper from her bag. "Three of them actually. IA, Lily, and Cul. Are those names familiar to you?"

She nodded. "What does he want with them?"

"Like I said. He only wants information on them." Pulling out a pen she asked, "Do you think you can tell me about their behaviour in general?"

Meiko shot up from her seat. "I know we're in good terms and all, but I don't feel comfortable talking about my students like this."

"Why? Could it be━do you already know something's _off_ about your classroom?"

Anger started to surge through Meiko's veins. "Does he think I can't control my own classroom?"

"No that's not it at all."

"Then what is it?"

Luka grew quiet.

"Luka?"

"I was sworn to secrecy on this, but I think you have the right to know."

Meiko sat back down as she waited for Luka to continue.

"A few days ago when I went out a date with Kiyo, a boy approached us. He said his name was Kaito."

Her heart skipped a beat. "My student Kaito?"

She nodded. "He wanted to speak to Kiyoteru alone, but he insisted I listen in to what he had to say since I knew you. Anyway Kaito talked about Crypton High and what he said had honestly brought me to tears."

Meiko swallowed a lump in her throat. "What did he say."

There was a long pause before she spoke. "He talked about the school's bullying crisis."

Meiko's heart stopped at the statement. "What did you say?"

Luka looked her dead in the eyes. "Your school is infested with low life bullies."

Meiko clamped her hand over her mouth. "No. You're lying."

Luka grew impatient at the sight of what had become of her now weak willed friend. "Meiko!" She snapped. "You have to open your eyes and look at the truth. You'll never move forward if you don't."

Meiko couldn't even speak. She was shocked by what she had just heard. She felt so small and weak. She was like a child who had been left all alone. It disgusted Luka. "Meiko! As a teacher you're supposed to protect your students. I know it's difficult, but you're going to have to confront those students and make them stop playing their sick game on picking on the weak."

"I...I just don't know what to make of this."

Anger seized Luka, but she let it go as she realized how confusing this must of been for her friend. She sighed as she decided to go into deeper explanation. "The reason I asked for information on IA, Lily, and Cul was because Kaito explained that those three were the main leaders of the bullying group. Though they're only second years, they've spread their havoc on not only second years, but first and third years as well."

Meiko was speechless.

"He also talked about a girl. Oh what was her name again..."

"M-miku?" She asked in a small voice.

"Yes. That's right. Hatsune Miku. She's a pitiful one."

Meiko rolled her eyes. "I doubt it."

"Huh?"

Maybe it was the sudden news of her school's bullying crisis, or maybe the return of Miku in, maybe she had finally reached the peak of her bottling frustrations, whatever the reason, she snapped. "Hatsune Miku is one of my laziest students. She always comes into my class late, she has one the worst I-don't-care attitudes, then all of sudden develops a slutty attitude and attempts to sleep with Kaito↽"

Meiko didn't get to finish because the next thing she knew, she was on the ground with a swollen cheek. She looked up at Luka, shocked that she would be the one to hit her. Luka was a gentle person, unreasonable so. To think that she would hit someone was preposterous, yet there she stood with an injured hand from hitting Meiko with all her strength.

Meiko looked up at her shocked by her actions. "Luka, why would you━"

"Kiyo said there was no use trying to convince you in helping your own students. Still I came thinking that my strong-willed friend would never discriminate against them, and would do her best to help them. What a fool I've been." She said gathering her things.

"L-luka I don't understand."

"No. I don't understand you anymore, or what you've become." Luka bit the inside of her cheek unsure if she should give her the final blow. "I...I understand why Kaito hates you."

"He...he hates me?"

"That's right. Though I defended you thinking you had more pride than to start bad mouthing your students." She sighed. "I don't think we should see each other for a while."

* * *

For the rest of the day Meiko wasn't able to concentrate properly. Luka's words were still fresh in her mind. It wasn't until she received that slap did she realize what an awful person she'd been.

The afterschool bell soon rang. She dismissed her last period class as she erased the lesson material on the board. When she was finished she sat on her desk chair waiting for Kaito and Miku to arrive. She hoped they wouldn't come. She didn't have the heart to face them after all she'd said.

Alas Kaito and Miku did arrive impatiently waiting for whatever punishment their teacher was bound to give them. Meiko sat facing the blackboard, her two students only seeing the back of her chair. They waited for her to speak.

"Um, Meiko-sensei?" said Kaito.

"Yes? Oh right I called you here didn't I?"

Miku rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you both pull up a chair. We have a lot we have to discuss about."

Once they all were seated, Meiko spoke. "How long has the bullying been going on?"

The two of them looked at her wide-eyed, with unhidden expressions of shock on their faces.

Kaito was first to gain his composure. "That woman told you, didn't she."

"Yes. I'm an idiot for not realizing it sooner."

"You're a little too late for that."

She spun her chair around to face them "I know, but I'd like to make things better now. Do you think you can give me the names of those bullied?"

Kaito glanced at Miku. She looked away to the side of the classroom as she reluctantly raised her arm.

"Miku?" Meiko gasped as she remembered Luka. She was about to tell her about Miku, but she had rudely cut her off to bad mouth her. What an idiot she'd been. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since my first year."

It had been two years and Meiko hadn't noticed a thing. She felt so ashamed.

"What did they do?"

Miku shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Well, there were a few times when they'd corner me and beat me up. It didn't happen very often, only when I angered them, and every morning they'd hide my indoor shoes, so I'd spend most of first period looking for them."

Meiko recalled all the times Miku would enter her class late. She always thought it was her laziness that had caused it. How wrong she'd been. Guilt took a firm hold of her heart. She regretted saying all those immature things about her.

"They would also stuff their garbage in my desk, and I'd find nasty notes telling me to die and such." She said nonchalantly. An angry expression crossed her face. "But the worst thing they did was when they hauled my precious item up a tree. I spent months looking at it, planning to get it back."

Meiko stared at Miku's window seat. A large tree stood not far by that window. Meiko remembered Miku looking out that window when she was supposed to be doing her work instead. Had...had that been the reason why?

"They also bully other people." Miku mumbled.

Meiko pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. "Right. Please give me their names."

For the next half hour Kaito and Miku gave the names of the victims and other bullies influenced by IA, Lily, and Cul. Meiko could see why Luka called it a bullying crisis. By the end of their meeting, Meiko had written over three hundred names of those involved.

"Are you sure that's everyone?"

Miku nodded. "Yes."

Wearily looking at the both of them she asked, "Should I inform you're parents about this. I'm sure they'd like to know."

An uncomfortable silence grew between them. Meiko frowned. Had she said something wrong?

Kaito finally spoke up. "I don't think you should do that."

Meiko's brows furrowed. Confused she asked, "Why not?"

Kaito smiled at her. Her heart skipped a beat. She never thought he'd smile her way again. Not since the suspension incident. "Please, you've done enough."

Meiko cleared her throat, praying he didn't notice her blush. "W-well if you're sure." Spinning her chair around she said, "You're dismissed."

"What about our punishment?" He asked

"Oh just forget the punishment."

She waited until they left. The door slid open, she could feel a pause. "Thank you Meiko-sensei." Kaito and Miku said together before they left.

Meiko smiled to herself. She'd done it. She had finally gotten through to them. She was no longer hidden from the truth. Now she could battle the bullying crisis with no worries in her mind. Still there were still some unanswered question she still couldn't get her head around. Why didn't her two students want their parents to know about their hardships? Why did she feel like they hadn't told her everything? Somehow she felt like she was still left in the dark. She was still nothing compared to Kiyoteru the all knowing. He who was nothing more than a previous teacher of Kaito's seemed to play a bigger role in all this mess.

She sighed. She could think of more questions she didn't know the answers to, but decided to leave it alone. All this thinking was giving her a headache. Besides she had a feeling that she would one day be the one to uncover the hidden truths.


	10. CH10

"And that's a wrap." called the director.

Luka sighed, glad the camera was out of her face. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

She thanked an assistant who handed her a water bottle. She returned to her actor's chair where she twisted the cap off her bottle, drinking a generous amount of water to replenish her dehydrated self. As she drank, she watched the film crew start to pack up and leave.

From the corner of her eye she saw the director approach her. "Luka! That was great. You really have a talent. Ever think of joining the filming industry?"

She smiled politely, which again, were hell on her cheeks. "No, I'm happy where I am thanks."

"That's too bad. Well if you ever change your mind let me know." He said as he walked off.

Luka frowned, staring emptily at her bottle. Things weren't going as well as she'd hoped. Luka had started auditions in hopes of finding her next star. Many had showed up for the audition, but the auditioners mainly consisted of wannabes, tone-deaf brats, and mediocre singers. There was no one with that _it_ factor. She needed to find someone with a voice that could make anyone spellbound, so she decided to publicize the audition in hopes of reaching out to a talented singer out here in japan. The commercial was set to air in a week, until then would she have to go through more hopeless auditions.

Luka felt exhausted once she reached her office. She sat in her chair simply staring off into space. She was a feeling a lot of things; depressed, tired, anxious, happy was not one of them. She clenched her fists, she had to get it together. Nobody said fulfilling your dreams would be easy. Besides, in the end she knew it'd all be worth it.

* * *

"Luka."

She rolled her eyes. Not again.

"Luuka!"

Did he honestly think calling her name was going to make her stop?

"Luka!"

She stopped. Did she sense urgency in his voice? Feeling a bit worried, she to go see if everything was alright. She walked over to the back gate of the dojo where she had a full view of the backyard. Gakupo was leaning by the gate instead of sitting by the patio where he usually sat to greet her.

"What is it?" She asked.

Gakupo blinked, shocked Luka didn't ignore him like she usually did. He cleared his throat, masking his surprise as he spoke. "I saw your commercial recently."

Luka nodded. It was no surprise. The commercial was to air on every channel across Japan. It had been a little over a week since it's release, since then more people had come to audition, but things still weren't looking up. She still hadn't found _that_ person. "What about it?"

"Uh, well you see..."

"Don't tell me _you_ want to audition."

He shook his head. "No, but I know someone that'd be perfect. I know she's what you're looking for."

Luka sighed a tired sigh. "Look there is a long wait for auditions. I can't just see someone just because you want me to. Besides if this girl your suggesting really wants a chance to audition tell her━"

Gakupo made a swift movement that made Luka flinch. Looking again she saw that he had pulled both his lose sleeves up to his elbows revealing heavily freckled━no━heavily scarred arms.

"Wha..."

"This is what happened when I listened to that person's voice."

"You...you hurt yourself?"

"No. These were goosebumps. They were so intense they bled and later scarred."

Luka observed the scars with unhidden shock registered onto her face. "Just by listening to a voice." She breathed. "Who is the person?"

"You've seen her before. The pigtailed girl that's usually with me."

"Oh, yes." She said remembering the girl. "Who is she you're little sister?"

He laughed. "No, but she's like a sister to me. Her name is Hatsune Miku."

Her eyes widened. Meiko's student? "But she's━" She clamped her hand over her mouth before she could finish. "Do...do you know about that girl?"

He gave her a puzzled look. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"Never mind." After a pause she said, "Well I guess I can squeeze her in for tomorrow's schedule, that is if she wants to audition."

Gakupo smiled. He looked so child-like. It was kind of cute. "Thank you."

Luka couldn't help but smile back. "Well I guess I'll be going."

"Wait. Let me at least offer you some tea."

"Sorry I don't have time."

Gakupo raised a brow. "But aren't you going home?"

"Yes, but I'm going on a date with my boyfriend."

His face fell. "B-boyfriend? You have a boyfriend? Who?"

She started to walk away. "It's a secret." She chimed.

Luka bit down on her bottom lip to suppress her laughter, but it was no use. She ended up laughing like a crazy person as she recalled Gakupo's face. It was fun to tease Gakupo. She should do it more often. Still, she wasn't kidding about her date with Kiyoteru. It had been ages since their last date. Luka had to cancel several of their previous dates because of her work, but now that she was free, Kiyoteru had planned to take her out to a high-end restaurant.

Once Luka reached her her apartment, she stripped off her clothing and jumped into the shower. She needed to hurry and get ready. It was only six-o'clock, but their date was scheduled at nine. It seemed like she had plenty of time to get ready, but she knew polishing herself up was always a long process.

After thoroughly shaving, scrubbing, and washing herself clean, she got out of the shower with a towel wrapped around herself. She walked into her room and sat on her bed, her phone beside her. Turning it on, she saw that she had a new text message from Meiko.

Luka smiled sheepishly as she remembered their previous fight. Luka had been so angry at Meiko and even declared for them to be temporally distant for a while, but they both ended up reconciling almost immediately. Luka couldn't stay mad at her, and Meiko had also realised her mistake. So it was all good, until they decided to go out drinking. Though Luka had told her to take it easy, Meiko had ended up drowning her sorrows with beer. She continued to mumble something about being a failure as a teacher, and being a cold-hearted demon towards her students for the rest of the night.

Luka was feeling a bit of guilt towards her friend. Luka had refrained from telling Meiko the rest of what she was going to say that day. There was still something she didn't tell her about that Miku girl. Luka had also set her heart against telling her about Kaito, she knew if she did, Meiko's insides would be torn apart from guilt. Though as a teacher, Meiko did have the right to know, but Kiyoteru said he would take of the issues himself, so she decided to take his word for it.

Luka shook her head. She didn't have time to think of such things. She needed to hurry and get ready. Luka sat in front of her dresser where she blow dried her hair and used a curling iron to give herself loose-curl styled hair.

She started on her makeup next. She used little to no foundation on her blessed flawless face. She moved on to her eyes. She grabbed her eyeliner and swiftly lined her eyes before covering her lids with simmering black eye shadow. She spread clear lip gloss on her lips to finish it off.

Luka got up and walked over to her closet searching for her dress she bought specifically for their date. It was a simple yet beautiful black knee-length dress. She slipped into it after changing into clean bra and panties. She then walked back to her dresser and opened her jewelry box. She searched for the perfect accessories when she found a large silver bracelet and diamond studded earrings.

Time seemed to fly as she prepared herself to get ready. It was almost eight-thirty when she was finished. It was not long before she received a text from Kiyoteru. He was waiting outside for her. Luka quickly looked in the mirror smiling approvingly at her reflection. She was beautiful and she knew it.

Luka grabbed her purse and slipped into black high heels before she left her apartment. She took the elevator down to the ground floor. Outside she found Kiyoteru waiting for her by a fancy looking car. Her heart beat at the sight of him. He looked different than usual. Changed out of his teaching attire, he wore a stripped black suit and silver wristwatch. His hair was slicked back and he wasn't wearing his glasses. Kiyoteru looked good, better than good. He was breath taking.

"Luka." He said kissing her forehead. "You look beautiful."

"So do you━I mean you look handsome."

He laughed. "Thank you." Motioning towards the car he said, "Shall we go?"

She nodded. Kiyoteru opened the back door for her, where they both sat. It was then did Luka realize that they had their own personal driver.

Once they were both inside, the chauffeur drove without a word. The were driven deep into the city. Fifteen minutes past when the car stopped in front of a tall building. Kiyoteru announced that this was infact their stop. They both exited the car and entered the building where they were greeted by a parton. They then took a large elevator up to the top floor where Kiyoteru lead her to the entrance of the restaurant.

A man behind a counter confirmed their reservation and lead them to their table which was seated by a window. Luka was impressed. The restaurant itself was very beautiful, and they had an amazing view of the city.

They both sat in their seats looking over their menus. Luka cringed at the heavily priced items on the menu. There wasn't anything under one thousand yen. She glanced over at Kiyoteru who also looked over at his menu. He didn't look all that surprised. He actually seemed to be quite nonchalant about it.

"Wow this is all so expensive. Meiko says she struggles on a teacher's salary. I don't think she'd be able to afford this." Luka said hinting Kiyoteru.

He cringed by the sound of her name. Luka noticed, but decided to ignore it. "Yes, well I may be a teacher, I also play a role in running Crypton records, so I get my salary from there." He said answering her.

No wonder he isn't surprised by the ridiculous prices, she thought.

When a waiter approached them, they ordered their food. They didn't have to wait long for their food to didn't want to seem glutinous, but food was too delicious for her not to gorge herself in it. The unreasonable high prices suddenly seemed very reasonable to her.

As they ate, they filled themselves in both their lives in the time they spent away from each other. Luka was enjoying herself. Kiyoteru was funny, talkative, and a good listener who actually wanted to listen to what she had to say. It was a nice change from the other losers she dated who only wanted one thing. As happy as she was, she felt something was wrong. Maybe she was being delusional, still she sensed something was off, but what? Was it Kiyoteru?

"Luka?"

"Yes?"

"I asked you how auditions were going for you."

She took a sip of her wine. "It's going okay, I guess. I'm actually going to judge that Hatsune Miku girl tomorrow."

He furrowed his brows. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yes. A source told me she's amazing. The audition should be interesting."

"Hm. Who would have guessed." He said wiping his mouth with a handkerchief. "Well be careful, you know about her background."

She nodded. "Right."

They continued to eat. Luka was in the middle of eating her scallop when she noticed Kiyoteru nervously fumbling through his pockets. Luka looked at him suspiciously. "Kiyo? Is everything alright?"

He nervously cleared his throat. "Um, I wanted to give this to you before I forgot." He said sliding a rectangular black box her way.

She opened the box gasping at the pure silver necklace inside. "Kiyo." She said touched. "It's beautiful."

* * *

The two of them held hands on the way back to her apartment. They stopped by the door. Meeting his eyes Luka said, "I had a great time tonight."

He smiled softly. "I'm glad I got to spend it with you."

Luka used her free hand to play with her necklace. She simply adored the gift. Swallowing a lump in her throat she spoke in the smallest of voices. "Do-do you want to come inside?"

Kiyoteru's body stiffened. "As much as I'd like to I can't. I...I have to go." He said letting go of her hand. "I'll see you soon."

Luka watched as he left, disappointment heavily weighing on her chest. Kicking off her heels, she entered her apartment. Luka walked into her room and flopped onto her bed. She laid there for who knows how long until she grabbed a pillow and rolled around the mattress in frustration. What was that all that about? Had Kiyoteru rejected her?

Luka screamed into her pillow as she recalled the awkward look on his face when she invited him in. He really had rejected her. Was he losing interest in her? Maybe he found the thought of being with her disgusting. Was that it? Was he going to break up with her? Luka paused analysing her own thoughts. She blushed in embarrassment. Luka had really changed ever since she started dating Kiyoteru. She used to be the calm and collected one in the relationship, but now...well look at her.

She would have found the situation hilarious if this change wasn't happening to her.

Turning to face the ceiling, Luka wondered if this feeling of anxiousness was apart of being in a real relationship. It wasn't like Luka was inexperienced when it came to relationships, but it was her first time having such feelings. Who knows, maybe that was a good thing.

But the knot in her stomach told her otherwise.


	11. CH11

"Please Miku, I'm begging you." Gakupo pleaded.

Miku crossed my arms, turning her head away from him. "I can't believe you'd just do that without my permission." She yelled.

"I don't see the harm in it. This is a once in a lifetime chance. I wouldn't have set up the audition if I didn't think you had the talent." He assured. In a smaller tone he said, " Luka-san will kill me if I cancel now."

Miku sighed. It seemed Gakupo here had set her up with an audition for the Next Star Project without asking her first. Miku had heard of it of course. There wasn't person in Japan who hadn't. She knew a few of her classmates had signed up for it. Classmates such as Lily, IA, and Cul. Besides hoping they failed, Miku hadn't thought much of it.

"I haven't sung for other people before." She admitted.

He blinked. "But I've heard you sing plenty of times."

_That's because it was you, you idiot, _she thought_. _"Besides you. Anyway lets say somehow I'm chosen among the thousands of other applicants, it'd still do me no good. My father would never allow a Hatsune to go off into show business and spoil his good name."

Gakupo stared at her seriously. "You're father doesn't want you to follow your dreams?" He shook his head. "I'm sure if you just talk to him he'll↽"

"You don't know my father like I do." She snapped. "He's not as understanding."

He frowned. "So you don't have a good relationship with your father."

A dark smile crossed her lips. "Let's just say I'm his guinea pig in the business world."

An uncomfortable silence came between them.

Miku bit her bottom lip. She had said too much. Sighing she said, "Fine, if it'll make you happy, I'll go to the stupid audition."

Gakupo smiled and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you."

The old Miku would have blushed and called him an idiot, but that was before. Now she just calmly accepted the hug and even patted him on his back. "You're welcome, I guess, but I know you're only thanking me because I've somehow increased your chances of getting together with that woman."

Pulling away from the hug he sniffled, "That's not possible now. She has a boyfriend."

"Oh, I see." She started to walk away. Miku wasn't at all surprised by the news. That Luka woman did seem like the popular type.

"Is that all you have to say? You know usually in this situation you're supposed to comfort me."

She turned to him and gave him a sly smile. "If I did that then I'd be late for my audition."

Gakupo opened his mouth to say something but then groaned defeated. "Fine." He said shooing her away.

* * *

Miku took the train to Crypton Studious. She signed herself in at the front desk and was given a number pin (101). She was then sent to a waiting room where she was crammed in with over two thousand other applicants.

Miku sat in one of the few seats available, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She was nervous. Even though she promised Gakupo she'd audition, it still didn't change the fact that she hadn't sung in front of other people before. What if she forgot her lyrics? What if she stuttered? What if she couldn't sing at all?

Deciding to distract herself from her nerves, she looked over at the other applicants that were practicing among themselves. Miku was surprised by the different age groups that had come to audition. Auditioners had ranged from the youngest of girls to the oldest of men. There were even a few foreigners.

A particularly small pig-tailed girl had caught her attention. She had black hair and wore a cute little red dress. She looked no older than eight-years-old. Miku listened to her sing. Her voice was sweet yet intense, she liked it. Her eyes then wondered to a blond boy with a loose blue buttoned shirt. He held on to a red tulip as he sang. Miku wasn't sure why, but she like his voice nonetheless.

He noticed her staring and blew her a kiss. Miku quickly turned away pretending not to notice. She wished she hadn't because on the other side of the room she spotted three of her classmates IA, Lilly, and Cul.

Miku hid her face in her notebook. What were they doing here? Sure she knew they were going to audition, but she never knew they were going to audition on the same day she was. Argh, this was all Gakupo's fault. Miku would definitely get him back for this.

She flipped through the pages of her notebook, hoping they didn't notice her. It was bad enough she had to see them eight hours of the day, but to see them outside of school was too much.

Miku didn't know how, but Meiko had managed to stop most of the bullying directed at her. She was still called names such as snitch and closet skank (this originated from equipment room incident with Kaito), not that she cared, but she knew that if the bully trio saw her, they wouldn't hold back.

Miku felt someone tug her shirt. She looked away from her notebook to find the cute girl from before had come to approach her. "Um, do you know where the bathroom is?"

As cute as she was, Miku didn't want her talking to her right now.

"I↽"

"Miku?"

She froze. Too late.

"What are you doing here? Don't tell you've come to audition?" said Lily.

"You have some nerve." yelled Cul. "Because of you, the school thinks we're the bad guys."

They were starting to gather attention. Miku could feel the stares bore into her. It was an uncomfortable feeling. Her hands shook with fear. She was scared. It was strange, usually she'd accept their harsh words with a calm face while bystanders pretended not to notice, but this time it was different. Everyone was looking at her. In their hearts they were all laughing at her!

"You really should've jumped off a bridge by now." muttered IA.

Her eyes widened in surprise. IA rarely spoke. This actually was the first time IA had talked to her. Hearing her words had reopened a long forgotten wound in her heart, and for the first time since the bullying had began, she wondered; what had she done to deserve such hate?

"Such harsh words from such lovely ladies." The blond boy said approaching them.

"Hah? Who are you?" snapped Cul.

He flipped his hair dramatically. "My name is Leon, and I couldn't help but notice you were being rude to the little lady over here."

"So what? It isn't any of your business." Lily said glaring at him.

He squinted his eyes, looking out into the distance. "Oh, is that a security guard? I'm sure he'd love to know about our situation here."

"Oh shit, let's go." Cul cursed, pushing her two friends along.

They were soon out of of sight.

Miku hung her head. "Thank you."

He smiled and returned to his original seating.

"Why were they being so mean to you?" asked the girl.

_Because some people are naturally evil_. "I'm not sure." She muttered. "Oh and if you're looking for the bathroom it's over there by the left."

"Thanks." She said sprinting off.

Miku turned back to her notebook. Inside the book, contained song lyrics of her own creation. They ranged from the happiest of tunes to the darkest of melodies. She had written each song based on her current mood. She wondered which type of song she should sing. If she was going to audition, she should at least do her best to impress the judges.

She flipped through the pages of her notebook looking for that perfect song. She wouldn't choose a song that was too sweet or too dark. She was in the middle of her selection when her phone buzzed. The sudden motion made her jump. She sighed when she realized it was just her phone. She still wasn't used to people contacting her.

She picked it up realizing she had a text from Kaito. It read:

**I went by the girly samurai's dojo to see if you were there**

**but he said you were at that singing competition? Are you**

**okay? I know that goes against your father's wishes. I'll**

**cover for you any way I can. ****Anyway tell me how the**

** audition goes.**

**P.S I'd like to hear you sing to you know...**

She smiled. That was her first text message in a long time. She was glad it was from Kaito. She replied back to the text then turned back to her notebook, now sure as to what she was going to sing. She read over her chosen song, feeling a bit embarrassed by the lyrics, but she decided she was going to sing it anyway.

"Calling out number 99." An announcer said through his megaphone.

Miku's heart clenched. There was only two people ahead of her. It wouldn't be long before her own number would be called.

She took a deep breath. Right now her father wasn't judging her from afar nor was he using her for his own pettiness. She had the support of Kaito and Gakupo. That was enough for her.

* * *

**Luka's P.O.V**

"You may leave now." Luka said.

As the boy left, one of the judges leaned towards her and whispered. "That Leon boy was pretty good don't you think?"

She nodded. His voice was pretty special. She figured his voice was on par with that child prodigy, Kaai Yuki.

"Eh, now who's next?" The other judge said looking at his clipboard. "Number one-o-one." He said to the announcer.

He nodded. He left the room calling out the number of the next auditioner. It was not long before a girl with long teal pigtails entered the room. Luka snapped to attention. It was the Hatsune Miku girl. She observed her closely. She was taken aback by the girls confident composure. From what she'd heard about her, she expected her to look more...broken.

"What you're name?" She asked.

"Hatsune Miku."

So this really was the girl she'd heard about. "And what will you be singing for us today?"

"It's something of my own creation."

She raised a brow at this. "Oh?" There had been many auditioners that had come to sing something of there own creation. Only a small percentage had manged to succeed with this. "What is it called?"

She smiled. "Sweet devil."

She nodded. _Interesting title_, she thought. "When you're ready."

Miku stood there for a long moment. She didn't sing nor did she dance. Luka wondered if she heard her. She opened her mouth to speak, but then had Miku begin to sing.

_Make up and Dress up! _  
_I become very lovely too! _  
_Matsuge wa nagame de ne MASUKARA PURASU tsukematsuge _  
_AIRAIN bacchiri ne kukkiri SHADOU HAIRAITO _  
_RIPPU wa chotto oome ni in PINKU de KIRAKIRA na no_

Huh? What was this?

_Munamoto akesugi datte? Datte kouiu no suki jan _  
_HIIRU wa san SENCHI up! Senobi shite choudo ii kurai ni _  
_Tekubi ni BEBII DOORU amakute dokidoki shinai? _  
_Akai MANIKYUA sugoi KYUUTO desho? Nee_

_Yume miteru no? Kimi dake ni suki nante iwanai yo _  
_Kanchigai shinai de ne! I'm liar girl._

This competition was based on vocals and vocals alone, so why did she hear music as she sang?

_I have something to say! _  
_Can you hear my voice? you see? _  
_Mou chotto gouin demo ii kimi no mune no naka going! _  
_Kyuu ni hikiyoseraretari souiu koto dekinai no? _  
_Shinchousa jissenchi iroiro shiyasui desho?_

_ Yubi de kami wo suite yoshiyoshitte nadetari shichatte _  
_Atashi dake mitetette! Shisen sorasanai de _  
_SHINIKARU ni warau kurai ga choudo ii no desu! _  
_Tsuyoki na no ga ii no hayaku dakishimete!_

_Wakannai? Migite ga aiteru no _  
_Iwanakute mo wakatte yo! _  
_want you to worry about me... _  
_I'm saucy girl._

Goosebumps rippled through Luka's body. The girl was good. No she was better than good. She was amazing. It was right then and there had Luka decided that she had found her next star.

_ Ano ko bakkari minai de_  
_Betsu ni yakimochi ja nai kedo..._  
_I have only you. It's shameful. Don't say._  
_Dakara kiss shite _  
_Do you love sweet devil?_

_Daisuki na no hontou wa ne_  
_"Atashi dake" ja nakya iyada yo_  
_I'm sorry not to become meekly  
I love you baby!_

_Daisuki da yo, hontou na no_  
_"Kimi dake" ja nakya iya deshou?_  
_I have only you, it's really true!_  
_Dakara kiss shite_  
_Do you love sweet devil?_

_Yume miteru no? Kimi dake ni suki nante iwanai yo_  
_Kanchigai shinai de ne! I'm liar girl._

_Gomenne zenbu uso dakara_  
_"Atashi dake" ja nakute dame na no..._  
_Can you love me through life? Chikai wa_  
_Kiss de ii yo ne _  
_Do you love sweet devil?_

Her song was soon finished_._ The judges were left stunned. None of them said anything for a long while, until Luka cleared her throat. "You may leave now."_  
_

* * *

Luka and Kiyoteru sat outside a coffee shop enjoying the warm weather as they drank their coffee. Luka was in a good mood. After years of hard work she felt it was finally starting to pay off, and of course she couldn't have done it without the help of Kiyoteru.

"Can you believe it Kiyo? I think I've finally found the one."

"Already? But it hasn't been that long."

"I know, but I feel like I can't let this one go. She's amazing, and you'll never guess who she is."

"Who?"

"Hatsune Miku."

He looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yes. Speaking of which, do you have her situation under control?"

"While Meiko seems to have taken care of the bullying situation, I need a few days for my plan to take action."

Luka took a sip of her coffee. "A few days is a long time for someone like her."

"I know, believe me I do, but I can not simply let the police handle her case. That girl is ruled by her father. He's the co-founder of Hatori Industries. People like him-the higher ups- always get away with their wrong doings. I need to bring him down in the ranks before he is properly judged of his crimes."

"I see, and you know how to do that?"

"That's right."

There was a long silence, before Luka decided to change the subject. "I've noticed you don't say Meiko's name with such anger anymore."

His body stiffened. "What are you talking about?"

Luka gave him a look. Why was he acting so flustered? It was like this before on their dinner date. After she said Meiko's name Kiyoteru would become awkward. He'd try to cover it up with his politeness and become especially nice to her. That's why she felt something was off. It was because Kiyoteru wasn't being himself.

"Kiyoteru." She'd said his full name. She meant business. "Did something happen?"

"No!" He said a little to quickly.

"Kiyoteru! I'm not an idiot."

He sighed putting his hand over his eyes. He suddenly seemed very tired. " Okay. I have something to confess..."


	12. CH12

Meiko sat on board a train. She stared blankly out the window watching trees and the untamed grass of the countryside move past her. She was going back to her home town. It had been a rash decision, it was a school night afterall. Still Meiko had promised Kiyoteru she'd help him, she'd given him her word, and what better way to help than to crawl back to her family.

Meiko sighed. So many things had happened. Her memories toppled over each other like an unstable block tower. She couldn't help but wonder if it had all been her imagination...

It all started yesterday afternoon. After grading papers from her other classes she decided to call it a day. Meiko left the school, heading for home. She was exhausted. Her plans for the rest of the evening would consist of a mattress and a few hours of shut eye. She deserved it after spending eight hours with her bratty students. Sometimes she wondered how she managed to keep her hands clean of blood.

Meiko passed a coffee shop. She stopped wondering if she should by a treat for herself to eat later. She didn't really feel like cooking anything today. Just as she was about to enter the coffee shop, she froze. From the corner of her eye saw saw Kiyoteru sitting at one of the shop's outside tables. He was focused on reading some sort of magazine so he didn't notice her.

Meiko backed away from the entrance, deciding to slink away to avoid confrontation. Just when she thought she made out safely, she heard her name being called. "Meiko?"

She cringed, then slowly turned to her caller. It was Kiyoteru. He had an unsure look on his face, but once his eyes met hers, he smiled in recognition. This simple action had caused her to be very confused. What was he doing? Why was he smiling at her as if they were old time friends? They didn't exactly leave on a positive note the last time they met. If she remembered correctly, Kiyoteru had said he never wanted to see her anytime soon.

Kiyoteru waved her over. Meiko stood frozen. What was she supposed to do now? Should she run away? Maybe this friendly act was a trap to make her miserable. Yes, she should definitely run away. Then again, this was the first time in a long time that she'd seen his smile directed at her.

Meiko gripped the handle of her bag. She'd probably regret this...

She started to walk towards him. Every step was harder to take than the next. That was definitely a sign that she should turn and run now, but it was too late, she already stood by the table.

Kiyoteru blinked in surprise, as if he expected Meiko to run away. His smile grew nonetheless. "Take a seat."

She sat. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She stared intently at the designs on the plastic white table. She could look anywhere as long as it was away from him.

A long while passed. Neither of them had said anything. Was this a good or bad sign, she didn't know. As time passed, Meiko grew more and more tense. Taking a quick glance at Kiyoteru she saw that he was the exact opposite. He was as calm as a cool lake. He seemed to be more focused on his magazine than with her.

Kiyoteru noticed her looking. "Are you hungry?"

"W-what?"

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm fine."

"I see." He said going back to his magazine.

Another five minutes past before he spoke again. "Which type of restaurant do you think Luka would like to go to?"

"Huh?"

He slid his magazine her way. She picked it up, observing the different high end restaurant on the paper. She quickly flipped through the pages as she felt Kiyoteru's eyes bore into her. She felt as though she was pressured to choose, and without realizing it, she pointed the most expensive of them all. "I think she'd like this one."

He leaned close to her to get a better look. "Hmm..." Was all he said before circling the the name of the restaurant.

Meiko blushed. He was so close she could actually feel the warmth emanating from his body. She could even smell the cologne he wore. She quickly moved herself away as she cleared her throat. "Um, is that all you called me for?"

He didn't respond. He kept his cool face as he went back to reading his magazine.

Meiko felt anger bubble in her core. She hated it when she was ignored. She shot up from her seat. "That's it. I think I wasted enough of my time. I'm going home." She turned around and began to storm off when she felt Kiyoteru grab her arm.

She looked behind her to find a not so cool looking Kiyoteru. To her surprise he actually looked quite nervous. Why? "I'm sorry." He said letting go. "In truth, that's not all I called you for." He admitted. "Will you sit down? Please?"

She frowned. "Okay." She said sitting back down. "So why did call me for?"

He seemed troubled by her question, but sighed deciding to get this over with. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I believe I owe you an apology." He said bowing his head.

Meiko's eyes widened in surprise. Had she heard right? Kiyoteru Hiyama, the jerk who had caused her emotional suffering and made her feel less than human was actually lowering himself to her? What had caused this change? She wanted to ask, but she was speechless.

"I...I've realized that I've been taking my anger out on you while you yourself haven't done anything wrong. That day...you were just doing your duty as a teacher and I couldn't accept that."

"No I wasn't." She muttered.

"Huh?"

"You were right. I was in love with Kaito. I knew my position, but I went with it anyway. When I found Kaito and Miku in the equipment room I had exaggerated on the facts and had punished them out of pure spite. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"I thought there was something off about that story." He didn't sound angry when he said this. "Kaito's not the type of person to take advantage of others. I think I know what he was doing back then." He said smiling knowingly to himself.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, why were you so angry when Kaito was suspended?"

He looked up at her, smiling sadly. "Well as you may have guessed, Kaito is the heir to a yakuza group. He may not look like it, but he's a boy with many dreams of his own. He didn't want to be tied down to the yakuza, so he rebelled against his father. Eventually, his father gave in and they made an agreement."

"Which was?"

"If Kaito graduates with a perfect school record than he's free to do what he wishes." He sighed.

Meiko's heart stopped. Oh no. She finally understood why she had received the torment she gotten from Kiyoteru and the cold shoulder from Kaito. All this time, everything had been her fault. If only her anger hadn't taken over her when she discovered Kaito and Miku in the equipment room. "I...I'm so sorry. I can understand why you and Kaito both despise me."

"I don't. Well not anymore. And Kaito has recently spoken well of you. Did anything good happen recently?"

"Nothing comes to mind." She pondered on his question. "Oh, but I have been trying to take care of the bullying crisis. Not that it had anything to do with him but↽"

He smiled. "So you finally figured it out."

"Well Luka helped me out a bit." She admitted. There was another pause before Meiko spoke again. "So, you and Kaito are pretty close, huh?"

"I suppose so."

"Why is that?"

He raised his brow at her. "You're asking a lot of questions today."

She shrugged. Meiko had figured she'd take her chances. Things seemed to be patching up between them, and she wanted to get rid of all curiosity while Kiyoteru was still forgiving.

"Simple, Kaito's like a brother to me."

Meiko gave him a look. How could he be so close to a student?'? Meiko could hardly create a proper teacher student bond with her own pupils.

"Well that is to say, Kaito really is my brother." He said rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed.

Meiko blinked a few times before she understood. "What?! How...Huh?" She sputtered trying to make the connection.

A tinge of pink appeared on his face. "You don't have to look so surprised."

"I'm sorry, but how does that even work?" She asked.

"Kaito and I share the same father, but we have different mothers." He explained. "My mother...erm, was into the "dangerous" types. Anyway, when I was born my father took care of me like any proper father should until Kaito was born ." A dark expression crossed his face. "He was birthed by the woman he actually loved. Because of that, he kicked my mother and I out of the house."

Meiko felt for Kiyoteru. She knew how it felt to be abandoned by one's own family. "Then how did you meet Kaito?"

"He allowed me to visit him once a week." His dark expression faded, and another smile was brought on his lips. "You know, Kaito was sneaky and for a short while he attended the school I work at, but it wasn't long until he was caught and transferred to your school where he was to make his "fresh start."

"I see. I finally understand." She said feeling lighter than she did before.

"Well I've said all I wanted to say. I think I should be going now." Kiyoteru stood up preparing to leave.

"Wait."

He looked at her. "What is it?"

"You're sure Kaito doesn't want to be apart of the yakuza?"

"Positive."

She stood up. "Then I think I know how to get Kaito out of this."

"How?"

She smiled. "Just trust me on this."

Then_ it_ happened. It had been completely unexpected. Kiyoteru had just leaned in and kissed her. He looked just as surprised as she did when it happened. Meiko knew it was wrong. She knew Kiyoteru was with Luka, her best friend. She had to pull away from the kiss, but somehow she couldn't. She was frozen her place. It couldn't get any worse that this, but it did because the next thing she knew she was kissing him back.

It wasn't long before they pulled away from one another. They didn't dare look at each other. It would have been to awkward.

"In two days." She began.

"Huh?"

"I'll be back in two days. Tell Kaito I'll be paying him a visit." Was all she said before she left.

Now back to the present. Meiko tried not to think about the incident, but she couldn't help but wonder why he'd done it. Kiyoteru didn't seem like the type of person that two-timed.

* * *

Luka P.O.V

"It was an accident." Kiyoteru said after confessing. "Meiko was speaking when a passbyer knocked into me."

Luka sighed relieved. "So it was just an accident."

"But." He continued. "I didn't pull away once I realized what had happened."

"What are you trying to say?" She asked in a quivered voice.

"I'm sorry, but I think I have feelings for Meiko."

* * *

After the long train ride, Meiko stood in front an old yakuza house. The house itself was not very big, at least not as big as Kaito's, but it was no less intimidating. It gave off a dangerous air that kept unwanted guests away. Meiko smiled at the building. "Home sweet home."


	13. CH13

**A/N I'd like to give a shout out to Ten-Faced who has spotted all my mistakes in this fic. I'm a bit of an idiot, and I do appreciate her (her?) help.**

** V0cL01dFaN I'm not mad. I appreciate constructive criticism. It was actually a really good idea. I'm planning on doing that now.**

* * *

Meiko's father crossed his arms over his chest, looking rather smug. "Well, well, well." He sneered. "Look who's come back to us after all these years."

She frowned. It had only been a year and a half.

She tried to ignore her father's underlings that pushed and shoved each other to try and get a better look at the scene going on inside. "It's Meiko-sama." She heard someone mutter. "She's back!" She heard another say.

"What happened?" Her father asked. "Did you finally quit that stupid teaching job of yours?"

"It's not stupid." She yelled, which was quickly followed by a sigh. "No. I'm not here to fight with you. I came here to―"

"Meiko!" A familiar voice yelled.

Her eyes gleamed in recognition of her caller. She turned around to find her little brother, Meito, looking torn and out of breath. "Meito..." Her voice trailed. It had been so long since she last saw him. _Oh how he's grown_, she thought warmly, yet felt a tinge of sadness. She regretted not being able to see him. Meito was already in his last year of high school.

"Oi! Didn't I order you to watch over Meito!" Her father snapped at his underlings.

"Sorry Boss, we'll take him right away." Two men grabbed Meito, and dragged him away.

He tried to break free from their stronghold, but their strength overpowered his. "Let me go! Let. Me. Go! I want to see my sister." He screeched.

Meiko turned back to her father. _Sorry Meito, we'll catch up later_.

Once they were alone, her father spoke. "So? What do you want?"

"I wanted to ask you for a favor―"

"A favor? A _favor_? You don't come home in years, and now you come to me for a favor? How dare you? I don't remember teaching you such insolence."

Meiko clenched her fists. She promised herself she wouldn't fight with her father, but he was making that difficult. "First of all, I haven't been gone for years. It's only been a year and a half. Second of all, you're a yakuza, you're the one who taught me _such insolence_. Third of all, let's not forget that you're the one who kicked me out for wanting to become a teacher."

He frowned. "I only kicked you out because I believed that you'd one day come to your senses and return home."

Meiko shook her head. She was really annoyed now. "There you go again. You've never taken me or my decisions seriously. I've told you time and time again that I didn't want to take over the yakuza head position, but that I wanted to be a teacher instead. You always brushed me off as if I wasn't important to you, and then of course when the day of my decision came you acted as if you'd been betrayed when I chose to become a teacher instead of what you wanted. " Meiko took a deep breath. She had to calm down. There was still so much she wanted to say, but she had to remember what she came here for.

Her father simply _humphed_. "You're still as outspoken as ever I see."

Anger boiled within her. He hadn't listened to word she said. To him, she was only wasting her breath. _Calm down Meiko, remember you're here for a reason_. She sighed. "Look, I'm not here to argue. I'm here to ask for your assistance."

"Hm? What do you need my help for?"

"It's a long story―"

"I like stories."

She gave him a look. "Fine. It all started when..." Meiko told him everything, well not _everything_. She had her pride, and she didn't want to look like a fool in front of her father. Despite this, she had ended up telling him about all the mistakes she made as she explained her entanglement with Kaito and Kiyoteru. Meiko glanced at his face every so often as she told him all that had happened these past couple of months. His face remained neutral throughout her tale. "...and that's my story. So, will you help me?" She asked giving him a pleading look.

"No."

Meiko felt heavy with defeated when he said that. "Why not?"

"Why should I? It's your mistake. I have no reason to fix it. Besides, why would I want to let some _boy_ live the same life as yours?"

Kiyoteru's face appeared in her mind as she remembered what he'd said. "Because he has dreams and aspirations of his own. Taking that away from him will surely kill him." Meiko bowed down to her father. "Please help me. I...I am willing to do anything you wish in exchange."

"Even if that means quitting your job as a teacher to become the next head?"

"...Yes."

"You're willing to give up your position so you can help some student of yours?" He sounded shocked.

She raised her head. Determination shone brightly in her eyes. "There are many reasons why I'm doing this. I'm trying to fix my mistakes, keep my promises, and yes, I am willing to do anything to help my precious students." Strange. It wasn't until today did she realize how much she loved her job or how precious her students really were, despite wanting to kill them most of the time. _I guess I never realize how much I love something until I lose it, _she thought sadly_._

Her father was silent for a long moment. Too long for her comfort. As time passed, she was beginning to suspect that her father was going to say no to her request. Another while passed, and her father breathed a heavy sigh, it was something he always did when made his choice with tough decisions. "Fine I'll help you in this ambush of yours as long as you keep your promise."

"I will." She said a little to loudly. "I mean thank you, father."

* * *

"You did what?" Meito responded, shocked by what he just heard.

The Sakine siblings sat out in their backyard, watching other Yakuza members train in their combating skills as they caught up with each other. It was a hot summer day, which felt even hotter now that she was out in the countryside. With no clouds occupying the barren sky, the sun mercilessly beat down on their heads while the cicada noises buzzed every minute or so.

"Don't make me repeat myself." She groaned as she fanned herself.

"But I thought being a teacher was your dream." Meito couldn't understand how his sister could just give up on it, after all, she had worked twice as hard than anybody else to achieve her dream.

"It is." She said patting the top of his head. "But sometimes you have to give them up for what's really important."

"Even if that means giving up your own happiness?"

Meiko didn't respond. She had nothing more to say.

"Meiko-sama, would you like some watermelon slices?"

She turned around to find her father's right hand man, Toshi if she remembered correctly, offer her a plate of watermelon slices. "Thank you." She said accepting the plate. She was deep in thought as she ate the cold fruit. Coming back home had flooded her mind with so many memories. Especially from ones during her high school days. Now that she thought about it, it was around this of year did she decide that she wanted to become a teacher.

Meiko was in her first year of high school. She was cute, in a scary sort of way. She didn't have any friends. No one wanted to be near her. She had been quite the delinquent back in her day, but what really kept everyone away from her was her yakuza background. Her classmates saw her as the black sheep in their perfect white flock. She was was a stain, an annoyance, a pest in their haven.

Meiko didn't care what her classmates thought of her. She was fine being by herself, at least that's what she thought. At the time, she didn't know that she that fought and caused trouble for others to bring attention to herself. If she didn't, then no one would know of her existence. It was her teacher that showed her that. He was an annoying old man in his late eighties. He looked so small and fragile, it seemed like the smallest touch would break him, but he had a bigger soul than anyone she knew, making him one the strongest human beings she'd ever come to meet.

Their meeting was nothing special. He was her homeroom teacher, and she was his student, but he liked to pick on her. No teacher had ever tried to mess with her. Meiko thought he was just a stupid old man, walking on a thin rope. It got to the point that she decided to fight back. Old man or not, he was going to experience her wrath.

Slamming her fits on her desk she yelled, "Do you have a problem with me, old man?" He had been picking on her as usual. Meiko was not in a good mood, so it was no surprise to her that she'd snap.

Her classmates flinched in fear, while her teacher only smiled. "No of course not, but I think we should talk after class."

She smirked. What an idiot. He should have confronted her now while he had the upperhand. Oh well, it was his loss. Class soon ended. Meiko remained in her seat while her classmates quickly cleared the room. Meiko spoke once they were alone. "So, what now? Do I get detention or something?"

He chuckled. "No, like I said. I only want to talk to you."

She shrugged. "I'm listening."

"I've been watching the way you've been acting, and I've come to a conclusion."

"Really now." She said bemused.

"You're a lonely girl."

"Hah? Was that supposed to be some sort of joke? Because it's not funny."

He ignored her rude remake. "It's the first time I've had your type as my student, so it took me longer to figure you out. Like I said, you're lonely. You're afraid of blending into the background, of being forgotten. You're not a troublemaker because you're daughter of a yakuza, but because you believe that making trouble is the only way you'll be noticed by your classmates. In reality, you just want to be apart of the class. Don't you?"

She flushed. "How dare you even think―" She paused. Her vision had blurred and she felt wetness on her cheeks. Was she crying? No! How embarrassing. Her teacher was probably laughing at her.

To her surprise, he wasn't laughing at her. He gave her a light pat on the back as he handed her a box of tissues. "It's alright."

"T-thank you." She said pulling out several tissues. "Takanawa-sensei." She muttered.

He laughed. "That's the first time you've called me by my name."

"Whatever."

It was all because her teacher hadn't been afraid to reach out to her, that Meiko had become the person she had become today. It was thanks to him that she was able to enjoy her school life, and was even able to make a couple of friends despite them knowing her background.

Meiko ate the last of her watermelon, her mind still strolling through memory lane.

If her teacher was still alive today, he'd surely be disappointed in her. While she had achieved her goal on becoming a teacher, she was nowhere near Takanawa-sensei's level. She had failed as a teacher. She had caused more trouble for her students than she did actually helping them, and she was never able to create the emotional bond with her students like her teacher did with her and many other of his students. Maybe it was best that she quit being a teacher. She obviously was not fit for the job. Her students deserved someone better than her. Someone that her student's could actually open up to and confide in.

Her heart panged at the thought. This would be for the best.

Meiko stood up. "Let's go."


	14. CH14

They say love comes when you least expect it, Kiyoteru never really believed in the phrase. He thought those who were easily caught love's trap were fools, so it was no surprise to him when people thought of him as someone who was heavily guarded, though sometimes he felt the walls he built around himself were too strong, but he would quickly remind himself that this was for his own good. Kiyoteru had many goals of his own, and he didn't need things like love to distract him.

He sighed as he leaned by the gates of the Shion yakuza house. What did he even love about Meiko anyway? She was nothing special. Not only did he have the worst first impression of her, but he had to swallow his pride and apologize to Meiko when he found out she was Kaito's teacher instead of drunkard, and not to mention they had been on bad terms ever since Kaito's suspension. Despite all the bumps and hurdles in their relationship, Kiyoteru had told Luka he loved Meiko instead of her.

Telling Luka that he had fallen for her best friend may have not been one of the smartest ideas, but he felt she had the right to know. Still...he couldn't get Luka's crying face out of his head. He never thought such a cool and composed woman such as Luka would be able to cry so much. Kiyoteru had reluctantly agreed to go out with her, he never thought Luka would treasure their relationship so much. He had felt so guilty. He had wanted to comfort her in some way, but he didn't want to accidentally give her any false hope, so he stayed with her as she cried feeling unsure of what to do. He felt like such a jerk.

_I swear, I better know what I'm talking about, _He thought, frustrated. Kiyoteru's feelings were all jumbled up in one big mess. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. While his feelings for Meiko were true, he decided it would be best not to push on a relationship with her. It would be too cruel. He didn't want to hurt her, or anyone else. Besides, Meiko would never agree to go out with him. As much as he hated to admit it, Meiko was in love with his brother, not him. Not that he blamed her. Kaito was a good kid when he wanted to be.

His heart lurched. No, no, no, no! He was not jealous. He was better than that. He trained himself to be better than that. A look of defeat pressed onto his face. Who was he kidding? Kiyoteru was human, just like everybody else. How sad. It seems Kiyoteru had also become a monster in love.

Well now that he had admitted this, he decided to answer his previous question. What _did_ he love about Meiko? There had to be something. He couldn't simply love something or someone without a reason? Could he? Was that how love worked?

He thought back to their first meeting. It was evening, and he had been fighting with Kaito in an alleyway. He was in an extremely agitated mood and didn't want anyone getting in his way, which was good for him since most people who spotted them quickly walked past, ignoring them, but somehow this only annoyed him more.

"Kaito, you don't seem to understand that Father has given you a chance to prove yourself. Why can't you see that?"

"Why can't I prove myself at your school?"

"Because your reputation is already ruined!" He grabbed him by his shirt. "You better behave yourself at your new school."

"Who are you to tell me what to do? You're not my teacher anymore."

_Why that little_― Now he was just being immature. While he was used to his younger brother's tantrums, he wasn't in the mood to deal with it today.

"Hey stop your fighting."

That of course, is when Meiko had interfered. Kiyoteru had quickly sent her away with his rudeness, but had thought she had been brave and possibly very stupid to interfere in their business. Either way he didn't care. He would probably never meet the woman-drunkard again. Oh how wrong he'd been. The day he went to meet Kaito's homeroom teacher was the day he admitted to losing to her. He had to apologize for his behaviour for Meiko to do what he wanted, and how smug she looked as he did! He was sure he wouldn't be able to get along with her.

Despite his thoughts, he and Meiko got along surprisingly well. They'd meet each other once or twice a week and talk about Kaito and sometimes other things. He knew Meiko was growing more and curious with his true relationship with Kaito, he could see it in her eyes, but he refused to let anything slip. He would ruin everything if he did. There were times where he was tempted to confess everything to Meiko, but he'd quickly remind himself of the consequences and quickly push the thought away.

As the weeks past, Kiyoteru grew to like Meiko, not in the romantic sense, but in a friendly sort of way. He respected her as a teacher, though found her to be a little dense. When she talked about her teaching job, she failed to mention her problematic students. Kaito would often talk about them when he would visit. He was surprised Meiko knew nothing about them. Kiyoteru had noticed them straight away, though that was because had a sharper eye than most. Maybe it was because student's had a knack at hiding things from teachers. Kiyoteru not mentioning anything was a fail on his part. He knew teachers hated being lectured on how to deal with their own students, but he shouldn't have assumed the same for Meiko.

Kiyoteru heaved another sigh. While he had noted a few of Meiko's good parts, he still failed to see what exactly he had fallen in love with. What was it, he wondered. He thought long and hard about it until another memory had surfaced.

The scene had taken place a few days prior to Kaito and Miku's suspension incident. Meiko and Kiyoteru had met up as usual, but Kiyoteru had been in a bad mood. Meiko had noticed.

"What's the matter?"

"Huh?"

"You don't seem like yourself."

He was surprised she noticed. Kiyoteru had a talent at hiding his emotions well. "Um, well...can I ask you something?"

Now it was her turn to look surprised. "Yes?"

"What do you think about unwanted children?" He had meant to ask her a cover-up question, but ended up asking her his real question instead. In all honesty, he wanted to know her thoughts on them. Where had this question come from? Well the last time he had visited Kaito, he'd overheard a few of his father's underlings talking about him. Long story short, they spoke about his unneeded place in the household and in his family.

"Hm, well it's always sad when children are unwanted..."

He mentally sighed. He knew it. Everyone always said the same thing.

"But I think they should strive to create a stronger bond with other people who they can care for and can care for them equally as much, especially when parental relations are weak to the point of nonexistent. Children aren't going to need their parents forever. One day they're going to realize that they are their own person, and if they find themselves alone then its their own fault."

Her answer surprised him. She had been harsh, but that had made her words greater. He was glad he asked her.

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason." He said a little too fast.

Meiko raise her brow in suspicion, but didn't push further on the question.

Kiyoteru supposed it was around that time Meiko started looking "beautiful" in his eyes. He denied that fact many times. He didn't want to find an evil woman beautiful, especially after she betrayed his brother. In reality he'd just been stubborn, he didn't want to admit that he cared for Meiko more than he realized. He was angry more than he should have been and he didn't understand why, so he avoided her and when he got the chance to meet her he'd develop an unbelievably crude attitude. Kiyoteru had been the one to break off their friendly relations, so being mean was the only side of him he could show her and the only side that he knew would occupy Meiko's mind, even if it wasn't in the good way.

He frowned. Kiyoteru was more childish than he thought.

* * *

He checked his watch. Meiko was late. She was the one who told him wait outside the gates for her. He had no idea what she had planned, but he decided he should put his faith in her and trust her for once. Her tardiness was not helping.

"Kiyoteru!" Meiko ran up to him tired and out of breath. "I'm not late am I?"

"Well only fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds, but I'm a patient person." He said clearly annoyed. "What's your plan anyway?"

Before she could answer, a huge group of unmistakable looking yakuzas trailed behind Meiko. Kiyoteru opened his mouth, and closed it. He shook his head. He didn't want to know anymore.

She smiled. "We're going to break in and kidnap Kaito. Then were going to cause a commotion and call the cops. Once they see that this is not a proper environment to raise a child, then you'll have the legal right to take Kaito." She turned to the group. "Let's go!"

They cheered in response and went through her order. They charged at the gates, breaking through it by sheer manpower. It was scary and amazing both at the same time. This was probably a mistake, but Kiyoteru decided to play along with this plan of hers. _Things might turn out unexpectedly well_, he thought.

Once they were broken through, members of the opposing side quickly threw themselves into the action. Things got violent fast. Just like Meiko wanted, a commotion was started. Noise could be heard throughout the neighbourhood. It wouldn't be long before someone would call the cops.

"Kiyoteru go get Kaito." Meiko ordered.

"Huh? You don't expect me to leave you here, do you?"

"I'm fine. I can take care of myself." Just as she said that, a Shion yakuza came up behind her, unknown to her, and prepared to strike. Kiyoteru lunged at him, punching him square in the jaw before he collapsed onto the ground.

Kiyoteru soothed his aching knuckles. "How about we go together?"

"...Fine."

Kiyoteru led her inside. They snuck through the complicated halls, hiding from yakuza's that went to check on the commotion outside. The whole thing was nerve wracking. They were coming close to their destination. Just when Kiyoteru thought they'd make it, he heard his name being called out. "Kiyoteru." He hid Meiko in a nearby closet as soon as he had heard the voice, though he knew it was useless.

"What are you doing here? It's not your visiting day, is it?"

"U-um no...I mean yes!" He cursed himself. He had to calm down. As long as he was calm, he would be able to get away with anything. He blocked the door in a not so subtle manner in an attempt to protect Meiko.

"How'd you manage to make it through the commotion outside?"

"I-I, that is, uh..." _Oh forget it_. He punched the man in the nose.

He groaned in pain. "Traitor." He muttered before passing out.

Kiyoteru opened the closet and pulled Meiko out. "Come on, we're almost there." He said before they both dashed down the hall. Kiyoteru stopped by the second-last door on the right and knocked on it.

"Come in."

They entered to find Kaito looking bored as he read a book on his bed. "You're late." He said not looking away from the book. After a pause he said, "I'm guessing you guys are the reason for the noise?"

"No time to explain." Meiko said. "Let's go before things really get out of hand."

Kaito followed them outside. Once they made it out safely, the three paused for a moment to look at the scene in front of them. Everything was a violent mess. The fighting between opposing sides was gruesome. Several police cars were parked outside with police trying to stop the violence with a few curious but cautious bystanders. Things had really gotten bad fast.

Kaito, Meiko, and Kiyoteru slipped through the violence without being noticed. Meiko separated from the other two and grabbed a bystander by the collar and muttered something in his ear.

"Huh? Why should I―"

She whispered in his ear again. As she did, the man's face went pale. "A-alright. I will."

She smiled at the man and made her way back to Kaito and Kiyoteru. "What did you do?"

"I just gave you a witness."

"What do you mean―" He was interrupted by the sound of Kaito's ringtone.

"Hello?" He said answering his phone. "What? What are you talking about―" His eyes widened. "Okay just hang there...hello? hello!?"

"What's the matter?" asked Meiko.

He looked visibly shaken. "I-I don't know. I was on the phone with Miku and was saying something about her father in some fit of rage and the woods. I...I think she was abducted." As soon as he realized what he had just said, he ran away.

"Kaito, wait!" Kiyoteru said running after him. A realization also hit him as well. His plan to help the Miku girl had apparently backfired on him. Crypton had officially bought over the Hatsune corporation which removed from his position as head of the company. Kiyoteru had done this so could be properly judged by the law for his crimes without any sort of advantage. Of course Kiyoteru never imagined he'd have a mental breakdown and drag his daughter into this, but after all the disgusting things he heard about him, he should have known better. If anything bad happened it'd be his fault.

Kaito had called Miku several times. It was only until his sixteenth call did she finally pick up. "Where are you?" He demanded. After a pause he said, "Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can, okay?"

"Where is she?" asked Meiko.

"She's near here. By some sort of hill. She said her father is armed and in the state he's in, I don't think he's afraid to use it." He looked around his surroundings. "I think we should split up―"

"No!" Meiko and Kiyoteru said together.

"We'll stick together." Kiyoteru finished.

"But―"

"Kaito." Meiko snapped. "I know you think it'll be easier to find Miku if we split up, but it's too dangerous. We need to stay together. Do you understand?"

"...Yes."

She smiled. "Good."

Kiyoteru was impressed. Meiko knew how to handle Kaito well even in a dire situation such as this.

The three were quick to scan the area. They trekked through the grass and hid themselves in trees and bushes before moving forward. It wasn't long before they spotted two figures by a steep hill. There was no mistaking it. It was Miku and her father. They quietly climbed the hill with caution until they reached the top. The three had unspokenly agreed to jump him before he noticed their presence.

_Almost there_. Sweat beaded on his forehead. _Almost...almost_―

"Who are you people?" He yelled.

Dammit, he cursed. They almost had him.

Mr. Hatsune pulled Miku into a headlock and pointed his gun to her template. "If anyone of you move, I'll shoot her. I swear!" He yelled.

"You're sick. How could you do this to your own daughter?" Kaito yelled.

"Kaito, don't anger him when he's unstable." Kiyoteru muttered.

"Shut up! It's your fault I lost everything." He started to cry. "I'm a nobody."

"J-just put the gun down. We can talk if you want." Meiko offered.

"Talk? _Talk_? How will talking help me now you stupid bitch!?" Out of rage pointed his gun at her. Time seemed to move slowly from there, and Kiyoteru's mind went blank. As the trigger was pulled Kiyoteru felt his legs push him forward, in front of Meiko, in front of the incoming bullet. He felt a sharp pain in his chest before everything went black.

"Kiyoteru!" Meiko screeched.


	15. CH15

Kaito, Miku, and Meiko sat in the hospital's waiting room in deathly silence. Neither of them had said a word since their arrival. Meiko supposed as the adult, she should be the one to tell her students that Kiyoteru and Mr. Hatsune were going to be okay, but even if she did she knew it'd make no difference. They weren't idiots, sugar coating the truth wouldn't make them feel any better.

_So...so much blood_, she thought. She remembered trying to hold back the blood pouring from Kiyoteru's wound, but it was no good. The red liquid only seeped through the cracks of her fingers.

Meiko sighed. She was exhausted, but she wouldn't rest until she knew Kiyoteru was okay. He _had_ to be okay. She didn't know what she would do otherwise. Her hands started to quiver with the possibility of Kiyoteru not making it through his surgery. Dammit! Why did he have to jump in front of the bullet? It had been meant for her not him. If he died it'd be her own fault.

Meiko closed her eyes, recalling the incident from only moments ago...

Her heart had stopped beating for a millisecond. In that instant, Meiko knew she was going to die. Her eyes were shut tight waiting for the impending pain. When nothing happened, Meiko dared to open her eyes. She froze shocked as she saw Kiyoteru's body laying motionless on the ground. She was overcome with so much emotion. Why? Why was Kiyoteru on the ground? Why was he bleeding? Why had Kiyoteru protected her? She clenched her fists. How dare that man pull the trigger?

"Kiyoteru." Meiko had yelled. She looked up and glared at with such intensity that he himself couldn't help but flinch. "How dare you?"

"I-it's not my fault. If only you left me alone. None of this would have happened."

"Cut the crap. You brought the gun out for a reason didn't you?" Meiko lunged for him, pulling the gun away from Miku's head. She managed to escape from her father's tight hold.

Meiko tried to pull the gun away from Mr. Hatsune. Kiyoteru was right. The man was unstable. "Don't you see what you're doing?" She said. "While I may not know everything about your situation, I'm sure acting like...like _this_ won't help you in the least."

He began to cry, his hold on the gun not faltering in the least. Meiko was growing annoyed, and to think she thought of him as a calm mature man. "You don't understand. I'm finished. I'm _finished_!"

"Just let him kill himself, Meiko-sensei." Meiko heard it, but she didn't believe it. For a moment, she turned to Miku who was attempting to heal Kiyoteru's wounds with Kaito who hurriedly called for an ambulance. She stared at her student, shocked by how unfazed she looked. Kaito had also heard, but said nothing as he gave the operator their location.

Just then, Meiko heard a deep ear-piercing scream scream from behind. Damn, she thought as she turned back to Miku's father. Her words had broken him. Mr. Hatsune pulled the gun with strength Meiko couldn't match, and so the gun had slipped through her fingers.

_No_...In that instant, he placed his gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

...

"Meiko-sensei?" Miku whispered.

"Yes?" Meiko responded, tired. It had been four hours since the surgery. Since then, Kaito had fallen asleep, leaving Miku alone in her company.

"I'm an awful person."

Huh? Where had this come from? _Just let him kill himself, Meiko-sensei_. Oh, right. "Um, what makes you say that?"

"Since my father shot himself I've been hoping he would die, hoping he wouldn't make it through his surgery."

Meiko frowned. Miku didn't seem to hold any sort of love for her father. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, why do hate―dislike your father?"

Miku bit her bottom lip. "If I told you, you'd never look at me the same again, and I'd hate that."

"I'm your teacher, no matter what you tell me that won't change."

Miku looked unconvinced, but decided to confess everything to her. There was so much she wanted to get off her chest. "Well my family has never gotten along. It was always about work, work, work with my father, so he was never around. With more work came more money, that's what he always said. My mother always listened to what he said, she had never went against him even when he was at fault. " She laughed bitterly. "She played the role of the perfect trophy wife. My brother eventually got sick of my father, and attended middle school and high school in another prefecture."

Meiko heart panged in guilt, and here she thought Miku always had a perfect family.

"But I didn't hate him then. I loved him even when he was hypocritical and only played his role of becoming my father in front of potential business partners. I loved him even after I was blatantly told he had better things to do than to spend time with me. I loved him even when he would tell me I was useless. But...but!" It got harder for her to speak.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "It was after I turned fourteen, did things truly begin to change. My fathers company started to go through hard times. We were all begging to think that we'd go bankrupt, so my father became desperate and used me."

"He...used you?"

"Yes. He'd used me. When deal's didn't go well, he'd offer me as a last solution. You see it was easy for the rich to obtain easy women, but never young girls in the ripe age of puberty."

Meiko felt sick. "You mean..."

"Yes. My body was often used to 'seal the deal'."

Oh god. Meiko had always thought that her father was bad, but that was nothing compared to this.

"While you might of thought my father was crazy today, believe me when I say he's always been that way." She sighed. "Of course when I didn't succeed as the last resort, or when I got myself into trouble my father would become violent."

"I don't understand. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Anger flashed on her face. "You don't understand―" She yelled looking very much like her father. She sighed. "Sorry, but you _don't_ understand. There was no one I could tell. My mother knew and she didn't do anything about it. Do you know how that feels?"

Meiko's mother had passed away early in her childhood, while they didn't spend much time together Meiko knew her mother would do anything to protect her. Compared to Miku she was lucky "...No."

"While people think this is false, the rich have more advantages that the middle and lower class. They're above the law, so even if I told the police about this, my father and all his accomplices would probably get away with what they've done."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You didn't do anything." There was a long pause. "You know, I've been wanting to clear a few misunderstandings with you. Specifically about misunderstandings between Kaito and I."

"What is it?"

"Since our suspension, you seem to think Kaito likes me in _that_ sense. He doesn't. He just happen to find out about my situation by accident. He's a good guy, so he wouldn't leave me alone." She smiled weakly. " It maybe too late to clear my situation and you may not believe me, but that time you found us in the equipment room, we weren't doing what you thought we were. He was only trying to heal my injured shoulder." She gently placed her hand on her shoulder blade. "I have the scar to prove it."

Meiko remembered the day the incident happened. Miku had been acting unusually cheery, no fake was more like it. She had even attended class early. Meiko's eyes widened as she remembered placing her hand on Miku's shoulder when they had finished their after class discussion. She had winced in disgust, but it hadn't been disgust, it had been pain. Everything made so much more sense now. "I...I believe you, but you're wrong about one thing."

"What?"

"Kaito does love you. I can tell."

She blushed. "You think so?"

Meiko smiled. "I do." And to think she once despised the possible relationship between them. When had she gotten over it, she wondered. She shook her head. It didn't matter, as long as her negative feelings had dispersed, then she was happy.

The door to the E.R opened. A doctor in full protective wear approached them. His presence made the atmosphere heavy. Even Kaito had sensed it as he slowly started to wake. Meiko and Miku stood up to greet him, though Miku stood a few steps behind her.

"How-how are they?" Meiko asked.

The doctor pulled off his mask. His face wore a solemn look. The expression made Meiko's heart rate quicken. "I'm sorry. Hiyama Kiyoteru is in stable condition, but Mr. Hatsune has passed away." He bowed. "Again, I'm so sorry. We did everything we could."

To her own guilt, Meiko was relieved to hear that Mr. Hatsune had died instead of Kiyoteru. Meiko gasped realizing how insensitive that sounded. She turned to Miku to see how she was handling the news. She was surprised to see Miku had her eyes closed as she was smiling to herself. In what? Happiness? Self-satisfaction? Whatever it was, she seemed to be at peace, a feeling Miku had yet to feel in a long time.

"I'm going." Miku said turning to leave.

"Where?" Meiko asked.

"Home. I need to inform my family. They've just lost a husband and a father."She sighed. "Well, goodnight."

"...Goodnight."


	16. CH16

Meiko had come to visit Kiyoteru the day after his surgery. Like the doctor had said, Kiyoteru was in stable condition, but she was warned not to disturb him during his resting period, so she was careful not to cause a ruckus during her visit.

Meiko had brought a bouquet of white lilies and placed them in a glass vase on the table by his bedside. She pulled up a chair beside him and shifted uncomfortably in her seat . Though Kiyoteru was unconscious, she still felt nervous being in the same room as him. It was a bit stupid now that she thought about it. She took a deep breath. What now? She had no idea what to do in this situation. She wasn't used to visiting people at hospital, let alone unconscious ones.

She stared at him in silence, her heart immediately clenching in sadness. Kiyoteru looked...tired. His face was as white as a sheet, dark circles were apparent under his eyes, and he breathed heavily. The source of his fatigue rested under those bandages, she thought as she spotted a bit of the white colored cloth appear out of his patient's uniform.

"You're such an idiot." She muttered blinking away her tears before they could fall. No matter how much time passed, she wouldn't be able to comprehend the reason why Kiyoteru would ever think of doing such a stupid thing. They had only recently gone back to being on good terms, Kiyoteru's will to protect her shouldn't have been that strong. How could someone jump in front of an impending bullet without sparing a second thought?

Meiko placed a hand on Kiyoteru's forehead. It was hot. She frowned. _Poor thing_. To think he was battling a fever as well. She heard fevers were common during the healing process, but she wondered if she should inform the nurse about it. She nodded. She would in just a little bit. For now, she wanted to spend a bit of her time alone with Kiyoteru.

Her hand moved up to Kiyoteru's hair. It was a bit damp with sweat, but she didn't really mind. _Wow_, she thought amazed. His hair was really soft. Softer than hers had ever been in her lifetime.

She froze once she realized what she was doing. She blushed furiously. _What am I, some sort of pervert?_, she thought pulling her hand away. Just then, someone knocked on the door. It opened before she could even react, and in came her father. He wore a serious expression on his face.

Meiko stood up, shocked by his presence. She had forgotten about him and the rest of the Sakine yakuza clan. "D-dad."

"Meiko." He said in a stern tone. He glanced at Kiyoteru before looking back at her. "We need to have a little talk." He motioned outside. "Now."

Meiko swallowed a lump in her throat. She didn't have a good feeling about this. She left Kiyoteru's room, taking one last glance at him before quietly shutting the door behind her. She followed her father through empty halls of the hospital, taking a few steps behind him. What did he want to talk about? Was he going to scold her? After all she did leave without telling anyone, but she had good reason to. Who know how things could have turned out if she brought everyone to the Miku rescue mission. Mr. Hatsune would have _really_ gone crazy.

Her father stopped walking. "It was nice of you to stick around yesterday." He said sarcastically.

"I didn't mean to. I―"

"I know." He interrupted. " I heard what happened."

Huh? Who told him?

"To think someone would actually risk their life to save yours." He scoffed. " It's laughable really."

She glared at him. Was he trying to pick a fight?

"To be honest, it got me thinking."Oh? The conversation had taken a different route. Usually he'd continue to insult her. Meiko decided she would hold her tongue for now instead of questioning her father's actions. "...I suppose you do have a life of your own here in this city."

Her eyes widened. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

"I guess what I'm trying to say is...you don't have take your position as head, but it would nice if you visited every once in awhile."

Happiness swelled within her, and without warning she hugged her father from behind. The sudden action surprised him, but Meiko was too ecstatic to notice. "Thank you, dad."

* * *

Later, Meiko stood in front of the hospital entrance, seeing her father off. "Say goodbye to Meito for me."

He nodded. "I will." For a moment, he seemed to ponder on a thought before a sly grin crossed his face. "Oh, and the next time you visit, bring that boy with you. He looks like he'd make an interesting son-in-law."

She blushed. "Dad!" How could her father say such embarrassing things? "He already has a girlfriend."

"Ah, really? That's a shame. Well I'll be going now."

"Bye." She said waving to his retreating figure. Speaking of girlfriends, Meiko had yet to inform Luka about Kiyoteru's situation. She pulled out her phone, calling Luka on speed dial and waited. She counted fifteen rings, and just when Meiko thought she wasn't going to pick up, she answered.

"...Hello?"

"Hello, Luka?"

"Yes?"

She heaved a sigh. "Listen, I have so much to tell you. It's not easy to say, but..." Meiko told her everything, filling her friend in all the details of last night's events. To her surprise, Luka remained silent throughout her tale. She didn't say anything when Meiko spoke about her involvements with the yakuza, neither did she retort when she explained her simple yet elaborate plan on kidnapping Kaito, Mr. Hatsune's mental breakdown/suicide hadn't shaken her either, but when Meiko's guilty concious finally decided to finally confess the part of Kiyoteru's injury did Luka finally utter...

"It's always about you isn't it?"

"What?"

"Nothing. I'll visit Kiyoteru sometime soon. He's at Takamura hospital, right?"

"R-right." She said, but Luka had already hung up. Meiko stared into her phone, shocked. Was Luka angry at her? Had her news shocked her more than she realized? No, she'd say something if it did. Then Luka really was cross with her? No, she couldn't be. Meiko did nothing wrong.

A memory popped in her head. It was of the day Meiko and Kiyoteru kissed.

Meiko gasped. Did Luka know? No, impossible. The way Luka always spoke of Kiyoteru...Meiko knew he treasured her. What had happened between them, whether it had been a heat of the moment, or a simple accident, both Meiko and Kiyoteru knew it had been a mistake. Neither of them would ever bring it up, and Meiko was happy with that, even if her heart said otherwise.

* * *

It had been a week since Kiyoteru had been hospitalized, since then Meiko had come everyday to visit, bringing along a fresh new bouquet of white lilies with her. She'd stay by the side of the unconscious Kiyoteru for about two hours or so before she'd check on Kaito and Miku. After the Shion household was deemed unsafe, Kaito was finally allowed to move into Kiyoteru's place, his father seemed to greatly disagree with Kaito's decision, but said nothing as Kaito picked up the last of his things.

"Goodbye, Father. Give my regards to Mom."

He'd only grunted in response.

They'd then visit the Hatsune household. They were in the midst of preparing the funeral for Mr. Hatsune, an extravagant one at that. It was all at the expense of Mrs. Hatsune. When Kaito and Meiko confronted on her actions, she insisted that she just _had_ to use a large fortune of her husband's will for his funeral. It was all for the sake of the family name. Neither Kaito nor Meiko had felt so tempted to hit someone before. They hadn't of course. They didn't want to cause a scene.

Meiko sighed at the memory. She hoped Miku was coping well.

Meiko walked through the long halls of the hospital. She carried a new bouquet of freshly blossomed lilies in her arms. When she reached the door to Kiyoteru's room she slid the door, opening it. She entered the room receiving a mini heart attack when she discovered Kiyoteru wasn't in his bed. Before she question the scene, her eyes wandered towards a tall framed man. He looked out the window, his back facing towards her, so he didn't notice her presence until she whispered, "K..Kiyoteru?"

He turned to her. "Meiko―" He looked down at her bouquet. "So you're the one who brought me the flowers. " He smiled. "I enjoyed waking up to them. Thank you."

Meiko blushed. She wasn't used to his smile. She shook her head. No! That wasn't what she was supposed to be thinking about right now. "When did you wake up? How come we weren't informed?" She had so many more questions she wanted to ask, but had only managed to utter a few.

"Yesterday evening. You were supposed to be informed later today, but it seems that was postponed due to the busy day today."

"Huh?"

"A bus crash. Fifty-three victims were all hospitalized here."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence.

"Do you want to go outside?" He asked.

"But your condition..."

"I'm fine. See." He demonstrated his strength without pain or fatigue.

"Well okay, but don't force yourself."

Meiko and Kiyoteru traveled behind the hospital to the property's garden. They sat on a bench watching the lovely scene in silence. It felt like a warm spring day despite the impending summer season. Other patients had taken advantage of the opportunity to spend the day outside.

Meiko glanced at Kiyoteru. They hadn't spoken a word since their trip outside. Should she say something? What would she say? They never really talked much about anything except Kaito. Now that they'd taken the next step to a possible friendship, Meiko figured they should talk about others things besides one's own little brother, but that would lead the the next problem. What did friends talk about? Aside from Luka, Meiko never really had other friends.

_Think Meiko, think_. She had to say something before they'd fall into another awkward silence. Anything besides Kaito. "U-uh, Kaito has moved into your place now." Coward!, she thought bitterly.

"Ah, is that so?" He smiled, "Oh, that reminds me. I never did get a chance to thank you."

"That's alright."

His smile slightly faded. "To be honest I was quite annoyed. I tried to help Kaito for years with no avail, but then you come along and manage to free him in a matter of hours. With a risky plan no less."

Meiko felt a bit hurt. Was this his way of saying he was going to go back to hating her? She should have know. Kiyoteru must of sensed her discomfort because he then placed his hand on her shoulder in reassurance. "_But_." He said. " I was impressed."

"Really?" She said, now feeling a bit embarrassed.

He nodded.

Meiko was so caught up in her own glory, she almost forgot to ask Kiyoteru the question she had pondered on all week. "Kiyoteru?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"That day... Mr. Hatsune was supposed to shoot me, but you jumped in front of the bullet, protecting me. Why? Why did you do it?"

"You're asking why..." He mumbled, feeling a bit taken aback by her question. "I guess it's because I like you."

"Huh!?" Blush grew on her cheeks.

Kiyoteru quickly realized his mistake. "I mean as a person, a _person_." He corrected. He too blushed, embarrassed.

The silence Meiko desperately tried to avoid had come hanging over them. She chewed on her bottom lip. Why was she so embarrassed? She had no reason to be. It had been an honest mistake. Yeah that's right―

"No. That was a lie." Kiyoteru muttered. He turned to her, his eyes gleaming with both determination and desperation. "I love you."

"Wha...but you and Luka―"

He didn't let her finish. Before Meiko realized it, she was pulled in Kiyoteru's arms as he kissed her.

Her eyes widened in shock. Was this really happening? Was Kiyoteru really kissing her? He told her he loved her. No, that had to be a lie. She had to pull away. She had to remember her friendship with Luka. She wasn't going to betray her twice. But she couldn't move, her heart wouldn't let her, it was as stupid as it sounded.

Her phone vibrated. She received a text message. She would have answered it to, if it weren't for the situation she was in.

**Hey, it's Luka. I'm in Kiyoteru's room, but he's not there.**

She received another text.

**Oh wait never mind. I see the both of you outside.**

And another.

**I. See. You**


	17. CH17

This wasn't supposed to happen again. Meiko was not prepared for this. Kiyoteru wasn't supposed to be kissing her. She wasn't supposed to be accepting it, but if Kiyoteru was kissing her again, did that mean this wasn't a mistake after all? When they parted ways, both of them had decided to never bring up the incident. It had been their silent agreement. They both knew that it had been an awful mistake. When Meiko had returned, neither of them had brought up their last encounter, and the recent events had proved a great distraction, yet here they were repeating the error of their ways

Meiko pushed him away. "No!"

He looked hurt. Meiko didn't know if she had hurt him or his feelings. It was probably both. "Meiko..."

"I said no! Why are you doing this to me? Is this revenge? Are you trying to make me miserable?"

"No, of course not."

"Then why?" She yelled.

"It's because I love you."

"No you don't." She snapped. "You love Luka." Realization hit her. "Oh god, I can't believe I did this to Luka, again!"

"You didn't do anything." Kiyoteru said grabbing her wrist. "I'm the one who kissed you."

She turned to him. Shaking her head she said, "No. Don't you see? I kissed you back. I'm just as guilty as you are." Tears welled in her eyes. "Just when I thought I was beginning to like myself again, I uncover more of my bad qualities." She was an awful person and an awful friend. She didn't know if she could ever face Luka again.

"You...kissed me back?" Kiyoteru had no correlation of that ever happening. He blinked. "Does that mean?..."

"I...I guess so, but I can't be with you. Luka is too important to me."

"But Luka and I have already broken up."

"What?" She was shocked to hear the news. "Since when?"

"A little over a week ago."

She bit on her bottom lip. That was around the same time as their first kiss. Did that mean...had their breakup been her fault? Did Luka already know? She broke into cold sweat. She had wondered why Luka had been acting strange. Was this the reason? Oh god. Luka was never going to forgive her―

"Meiko?"

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Kiyoteru. Luka has always liked you. She would go on and on about you as if you were some sort of god. She's never talked about any boyfriend of her's that way. You're special to her. Don't you see? I _can't_ be with you."

He sighed. "Reject me if you want, but I wont give up on you. I can't. You're the first woman I've ever truly loved. Remember that." He stood up and began to walk away.

Meiko watched him as he left. She blushed at his words. _How can Kiyoteru say such embarrassing things with a straight face_, she wondered. She was flattered of course. No one had ever told her they loved her. In these recent months she displayed such crude behaviour. She showed the worst parts of herself, and Kiyoteru had seen them all. It was hard to believe he would actually end up liking her. He was the last person she'd suspect on harbouring such feelings.

Her heart clenched at the thought of rejecting him. She already done so of course, but Kiyoteru had claimed he wouldn't give up. She sighed. If that was the case, then there were more rejections to come.

* * *

Just as Meiko was about to leave hospital grounds, she stopped remembering she had received a few texts from earlier. She pulled out her phone searching her inbox for her unknown sender. Her heart stopped as she read the messages. From Luka.

No. This wasn't happening. Not only did Luka know, she knew alright, but she had witnessed Meiko and Kiyoteru's previous encounter. She knew. She knew her best friend had betrayed her. She knew the love of her life was kissing her best friend. That would be ex-best friend if Meiko didn't fix this. She quickly sought out Luka's number. She was going to have to clear the misunderstanding.

Meiko's body trembled. It was easier said than done. Meiko's thumb had yet to press on the call button. She clenched her fist. She could do this. With her boost of determination she received the strength to call Luka.

Meiko's heart beat harder and harder as she heard each dial tone. For a moment she was tempted to hang up before Luka could answer, but she quickly pushed the thought away. She had to be strong. Luka would never accept her weak half-assed self. That's what she loved about Luka. Being around her made her want to become a better―stronger person, and of course when Meiko wouldn't meet her standards she would beat her into shape. Literally.

"Hello?" Luka answered sharply.

The sound of Luka's voice made her flinch. "L-Luka?" Meiko cleared her throat. "Luka, we need to talk." She said sounding more confident than she felt.

We're talking now, aren't we?"

"You know what I mean. Where are you?"

"Well after witnessing your little lip lock session with _my_ boyfriend I decided hang around by the park. You know, the one with the cute little koi pond."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"I'm sure you will." She said as she hung up.

Meiko put her phone back in her pocket deciding to make a run for it. There was something about Luka's voice that made her uneasy. There was a false sweetness to it. Despite Luka's calm tone, Meiko knew she was furious. _I hope she forgives me for this... _She could only hope.

Meiko arrived at the park tired and out of breath. She walked on the outstretched concrete path, searching for her coral haired friend. "Where is she?" Meiko muttered, annoyed. The only people she found were small children and annoying couples that couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Meiko walked deeper and deeper into the park with only Luka on her mind.

After what seemed like an endless search, she spotted Luka leaning by a large cherry blossom tree in a secluded part of the park. Meiko sighed relieved. She was beginning to think Luka wasn't going to show. "Luka!" She called out to her, getting her attention.

She turned to her and smiled. "Meiko! Nice of you to show up."

"Y-yeah." She replied. What was with her? This wasn't like Luka at all. "Luka, about Kiyoteru..."

Her eyes darkened. "What?"

Meiko swallowed the lump in her throat. Luka was starting to express her true feelings. "What happened between us was a mistake. I...I don't like him, so you don't have to worry anymore."

Luka wore an unreadable expression before she began to laugh. _Laugh_. "I don't have to _worry_ anymore? Oh Meiko, I've been worrying ever since I found out you and Kiyoteru knew each other." She shot her an angry look. "Do you know what it's like to have a man like Kiyoteru taken away from you?"

"What?"

"You're my best friend, yet you know nothing about me. You've never tried to understand me."

"That's not true. I―"

"Then tell me this Meiko." She yelled. "Do you know what my life was like before I met Kiyoteru? Do you know why I had so many boyfriends?"

"I...no."

"Then I'll tell you." She smiled. "For the longest time, I've been harassed by my boss, it's nowhere near the experience of Miku's, but it still hurt so much." She said clutching her chest. "I thought of quitting my job so many times, filing a lawsuit against him, but I couldn't. I'd lose my dream if I did." She sighed. "But for some odd reason he'd leave me alone when he found out I had a boyfriend, but they never lasted long once they found out who they were up against." She huffed a bitter laugh. "It's funny. They all told me they loved me, but it was so easy for them to leave me when it came to trouble or commitment. Then by sheer coincidence Kiyoteru came into my life, and you know what he did? He saved me. He chose me over that dirty old pervert. He saw me for me. He was there for me every step of the way." She was on the verge of tears now. "Then you come along and take Kiyoteru away from me!"

Luka lunged at her, slapping her across the face. Meiko knew it was coming, but she didn't bother dodging the attack. She felt she deserved it. She knew Luka loved Kiyoteru, but she didn't know she loved him this much. If a simple kiss had ruined their relationship, then Meiko was willing to take as many hits possible. It didn't matter how much it hurt, if it was for Luka's forgiveness then it was worth it.

She hit her again. And again. And again. And Again. Meiko lost count of how many times she was beaten. Pain was the only thing on her mind now. Her cheeks were swollen, the inside of her mouth had a metallic taste to it. Blood? Probably. The final blow had been a powerful punch to the stomach. Meiko groaned as she fell to her knees.

Luka was exhausted by now. "I...don't...understand." She said between breaths. "Why didn't you stop me? Doesn't it hurt?"

Meiko hacked a few painful coughs before she spoke. "I deserve it, don't I? You and Kiyoteru broke up because of me." She winced as she stood up. " He was your everything wasn't he? You can hit me more if you want, but I know that still isn't enough for you to forgive me. I'm so sorry." She said lowering her head in apology.

A look of shock passed through Luka's face before she broke down crying.

* * *

"I'm sorry Meiko." Luka said after she calmed down. Her eyes were puffy and red from her previous tear session.

"Huh?" She hadn't expected an apology.

"It wasn't your fault. Since the beginning I knew Kiyoteru didn't like me. I pretended I didn't know, but I insisted on living the lie." She sniffled. "But I'm okay now. If it's you then I don't mind if Kiyoteru has moved on." She smiled. "Who knows, maybe I'll give Gakupo a chance."

"Luka..."

"Seriously. I'm okay now."

Meiko shook her head. "No. I don't want to be with him. I don't even like him."

Luka rolled her eyes. "Oh don't tell me you're still hung up over Kaito. Sure he's cute, but he doesn't level up to Kiyoteru."

"I'm not!"

"Then? What's stopping you?"

"That's..."

"Men like Kiyoteru don't just show up on your doorstep." She grinned. "You say no now, but your answer will change soon enough. Kiyoteru has a way of changing people's minds one way or another."

Meiko remained silent. She didn't want to continue the conversation. It didn't matter if Kiyoteru was persuasive. She had made her decision. She knew Luka wasn't as calm as she made herself appear. Meiko could see the unsettlement in her eyes. They were only beginning to patch up their friendship. This development with Kiyoteru was not good for them. She had to forget about Kiyoteru if she truly wanted to settle things with Luka, then would their friendship return to its former glory.

Meiko sighed. Never had it been so difficult to give up love for friendship.


End file.
